Behind the Mask
by Raebelle
Summary: Rin is just your average teenage girl - school, drama, and dreamy crush Len Kagamine. But she has a secret: When Vocaloid City is threatened by dark, sinister forces, Rin comes to the rescue under the alias Butterfly. Her partner, the mysterious and flirtatious Knight, always fights by her side. Strangely enough, he bears a striking resemblance to Rin's crush. RinXLen noncest
1. The Key-bearer

**Hello, little children...*creepy laugh***

 **DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: _The Key-bearer_**

"You. Spineless. Coward."

Clutching the little heart-shaped box against her chest, Rin glanced reproachfully at her best friend. "I'm shy, okay?"

"Shy?" Gumi rolled her cat-like green eyes. The two girls were hiding behind a towering oak tree in the school courtyard after class, spying on a boy with sandy blond hair and a charmingly crooked smile. The boy, Len Kagamine, had been Rin's crush for two years – since the start of high school, when they had shared an umbrella on a rainy day. Rin believed they were soul mates, but Gumi doubted that he even remembered Rin's name. It was Rin's fault, she supposed – anyone who knew Rin Akita could see that she was the shyest girl in Vocaloid City.

It also didn't help that Len Kagamine was a complete heartthrob. Currently, he was surrounded by a group of simpering girls.

Suddenly, Gumi punched Rin in the ribs.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Shut up! Look, he's alone!"

Rin almost dropped her box – a package of small sweets she had painstakingly baked for Len. Hastily, she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and peeked around the tree. For once, Len had managed to shake off the girls; he was utterly alone.

Rin bit her lip. Wouldn't it still be awkward for her to confess to Len right now? She wanted Len to know her feelings so badly, but what if she stuttered or made a fool of herself? Every time she tried to talk to him, she was either washed away by the flood of girls fawning over him, or her heart hammered so badly that she would trip over thin air!

"Len's nice," Gumi whispered, as if reading Rin's mind. "And if he isn't, I'll beat his brains out. Go for it!"

"But-"

Before she knew it, Gumi had shoved Rin out of the protective cover of the oak tree, and she was standing directly in front of Len.

Rin stared at him. He was looking at her…smiling at her! His dreamy deep sea-blue eyes, his neck-length, windswept hair casually pulled into a ponytail…she noticed now, that there he had dimples in both of his cheeks. He also had surprisingly long lashes –

"Hi…" Len cleared his throat. "Are you…okay?"

"Um…"

"It's…Rin, right? Rin Akita?"

"I…" Rin's voice trailed off. There were butterflies in her stomach again! Panic-stricken, she glanced back at the tree, where her green-haired friend frantically gesticulated at her.

Rin turned back to Len and held up her box. "Do you…do you like chocolate?" It was made of shiny plastic and painted in a honey golden color – Len's favorite, and wrapped across the middle with a light pink ribbon.

"It's…beautiful. Thank you." Len hesitantly took the box and smiled at her, with equal uncertainty. However, Rin wasn't comforted in the slightest; for a millisecond, she had seen a frown on Len's face.

Rin fidgeted and cleared her throat. "So…I wanted to tell you…"

"Yeah?"

"I've always…liked….I kind of like…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Gumi vigorously gestured at her to go on.

Rin took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "I like you, Len!"

After a moment of silence, she slowly opened them. Len was picking at the ribbon on the box – a habit she knew meant that he was agitated.

"Rin," he started slowly and reluctantly. "Thank you for the gift. I…Sorry, but I don't-"

But before he could finish his sentence, two figures swooped in and snatched the box out of his hands.

"Chocolate?" It was Miku Hatsune, the girl renowned for her long, flowing teal hair, almost always tied in its signature pigtails. By itself, Miku's hair was already lovely; compared to Rin's choppy, shoulder length blonde hair, it was even stunning.

Miku carelessly turned the box over and laughed, turning to Rin. "Lenny here's allergic to chocolate? Didn't you know?"

Rin's heart stopped. "Um, I-"

"So much for being in _love_ with him, huh?" This was said by Miku's friend and partner in crime, Luka. She had a buxom, hourglass shaped figure, and she was so tall that she towered threateningly over Rin, who was slightly below average height for her age.

The duo terrorized the school hallways often. When one of their shadows loomed over an unfortunate victim, the other was bound to follow. No one knew which of them was the leader of the two; the only certain thing was that Luka and Miku's minds were in sync – a two-part machine built for the sake of tormenting others.

"Hey!" Gumi appeared at Rin's side, scowling at the other two girls. "Leave her alone!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Miku. "I was just wondering, why would Rin want to give Len _candy_ , of all things? She could've chosen anything else!"

"That's because it's the only thing she eats. Maybe that's why she's so fat," said Luka, sneering at Rin.

Gumi growled, balling up her fists. Before she had a chance to punch anyone, though, Len snatched the box back from Miku.

"Stop!" Len said, glaring at the two. "You think that's funny?"

Luka pouted innocently. "No! I don't think it's funny at all, that this moron here tried to _poison_ you-"

Gumi held up a fist. "Who're you calling a-"

"Stop." Rin put a hand on Gumi's shoulder, trying to control the quivering in her voice. "That's enough."

"But-"

Avoiding the mocking gazes of Miku and Luka for fear that she would let her tears fall, Rin turned to look at Len. For the second time, the heart-shaped box of chocolates was snatched away from his hands again.

"Look…I'm sorry." Rin mumbled. "I…I didn't know about your allergy. It wasn't on purpose, I swear."

"It's not your f-"

But Rin was already gone. As she fled, she squeezed Gumi on the shoulder – a signal indicating that she wanted to be left alone for a while. Luka and Miku's jeering laughter followed her.

* * *

"I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Rin was seated on a rough, low wall a ways away from the school, watching the sunset. Usually, the vivid warm colors cheered her up, but today, it didn't quite take away the stinging humiliation left over from the earlier incident.

With a lump in her throat, Rin opened the heart-shaped box with shaking hands. She ate one of the chocolate pieces inside, and almost choked. In usual circumstances, she would have savored the delicious taste of homemade creaminess, but the lump in her throat from crying rendered it impossible to swallow. In fact, the candy wasn't sweet at all; it was salty from her tears!

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Rin hurled the box onto the ground, leaped down, and stomped on the shattered pieces with all her might. The squashed chocolate stuck onto her sneakers, no doubt making a mess, but she didn't care. She had made a fool of herself – in front of Len! It was even worse than she had feared!

An unusually cold breeze for late spring swept across. Goosebumps sprung up over Rin's pale, scrawny arms. She didn't know why she was so upset, actually. So she was utterly humiliated in front of her crush, big deal! So she was harassed by the two most beautiful and ruthless girls in school, big deal! So she knew that Len had been about to reject her, big deal! So Len would probably never even spare her a second thought, big-

"No, no, no," Rin scolded herself, pacing back and forth around the mess she had created – she promised herself to clean it up later. She had no right to complain. She had Gumi, the best possible friend in the whole world someone could ever have. She had loving parents and a cozy house. She was good at drawing and music and-

Suddenly, Rin stopped mid-step and whirled around. "Who's there?"

No answer. And then, after a moment of silence – a chilling, inhumane laugh.

Rin's head swiveled around like an owl, but she couldn't see anything in the evening semidarkness besides trees and brick houses. Her brain urged her to run somewhere, but her feet were rooted to the spot; she didn't know where the sound had come from, so she didn't dare move lest she run right at the source.

"Who's there?" Rin repeated. "I – I know you're hiding somewhere. I'm not afraid of you."

It was a lie, uttered in a voice that sounded infinitely bolder than Rin felt.

Unfortunately, the voice did as she said. A tree behind Rin rustles, and Rin spun around to see a shadow on the ground grow larger and larger. Frozen in horror, Rin helplessly watched as the shadow, now bigger than the size of ten Lukas, inched towards her. Glowing eyes appeared, and the shadow dislodged itself from the ground and loomed over her.

"Um…" Rin squeaked. "Hi?"

The shadow opened its mouth, an endless, dark abyss, and emitted a deafening roar. Rin screamed and ran for her life.

She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what was louder: her pounding feet or her pounding heart. She didn't know why nobody else had heard or seen the monster – or why the sun sunken out of sight so quickly. She didn't know if the monster was chasing her…yes, yes it was. It was chasing her!

 _Don't look behind you, don't look behind you…_

Rin looked behind her and tripped, scraping her face on rough pavement. Cursing herself, she barely had time to move out of the way before the inky monster slammed a hand the size of a wardrobe on the spot she had been at seconds before – the sidewalk shattered upon impact. Rin gulped.

She tried to get up again, but this time, she was too slow. The monster grabbed her around the waist, kicking and flailing, in its iron grip and swung her back and forth so rapidly that Rin nearly passed out. When she finally blinked the dark spots out of her eyes, she stopped breathing: the monster was dangling her directly above its mouth. She couldn't see anything in the mouth – it was pitch blackness.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rin prepared for death.

 _One…_

 _Two…_

 _Three…_

Nothing happened. When Rin had gotten to thirty, she hesitantly cracked open her eyes.

She was lying on the sidewalk – directly next to the damage the monster had inflicted on the pavement. Standing directly above her was…an angel.

An angel…? Why would an angel come to Rin at a time like this? Why would an angel be here right after Rin had almost died?

Why?

 _Why?_

Oh.

"Oh my god," Rin murmured. "Am I…dead?"

She looked at her hands. They were scraped and dirty, but very solid-looking. Rin felt her heart pound against her chest.

"Wha…?"

The angel cleared his throat. He emitted a blinding light, but now that some time had passed, Rin's eyes had adjusted enough to see that, in fact, he didn't have wings. He wasn't even dressed in the ropes that angels were portrayed to wear in Christmas decorations and such.

This brightly glowing man – whatever he was – was dressed in a sleek, expensive looking business suit. Physique wise, he was tall, thin, and wiry. He wore black framed glasses, had a rather weak chin, and had neon blue hair with embarrassing visible gray roots. The man was flipping through a thick, leather-bound book and muttering to himself. Currently, he turned his attention on Rin. He smiled and offered a ring-studded hand to Rin, which she hesitantly allowed to pull her up.

"Excellent, excellent-" Running his tongue along his teeth, the man nodded at his book and muttered to himself. "Yes, that will do."

"Er…what?"

"Brilliant. We're running short on Masks right now. This is the perfect time."

"Excuse me?"

The man gave a start and looked bewilderedly at Rin, as if he had forgotten she was there. "Ah, yes! Please excuse my manners, Miss Akita! We haven't had a new Mask in ages!"

"Sorry?" Rin had started to edge away from the man, but he pulled her forward and draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Let's see…you are Despair-formed, yes? Blonde hair, blue eyes, short height, small physique…ah, but that's alright! You seem to have powerful magic! Our last Mask was over a year ago, you know…so we're a little bit desperate! Hmm…sixteen, just the right age…Despaired…well, that's alright! You just make sure to take care of it and go right into your job, alright, Miss? Golden and purple aura…yes, yes, lovely. Excellent."

Rin wormed her way out of the man's grip and squinted into his glowing face. "Sorry, but…who are you?"

The man's jaw dropped and he clapped a hand to his head, looking mortified. "Oh dear!"

Rin tensed. "Sorry!"

"Oh, no, it's not you! My greatest apologies." The man whipped out a silken handkerchief and coughed into it, and then turned back to Rin and smiled again. "I am the Key-bearer, the Bearer of Keys, the Guardian of the Keys of the Dream-world, the First Lieutenant of the Dreamweaver, the Mentor of Masks, et cetera. It is my duty – my honor – to bear keys and unlock the hearts of Masks – that is to say, _recruit_ new Masks to protect civilians of this world from nightmares and guard the Dreamweaver's loom, and-"

The Key-bearer trailed off upon noticing Rin's blank expression.

"What I mean to say is…you, Miss Rin Akita, are a Mask."

"A mask?"

"And a very powerful one, at that. I haven't given you your mask yet? No worries, it's right here…"

He handed her a mask. Rin turned it over in her hands, shocked into silence. It looked like one of the countless masquerade masks she had doodled in her free time, straight out of an elegant ballroom full of fairy tale princes and princess – but it was a thousand times more beautiful. It was light purple with swirly, intricate silver patterns all over. The right side of the mask gracefully spiked outwards, resembling the single wing of a butterfly. Rin stroked the wing – it felt even smoother than silk.

Rin pinched herself with all her might. This was real.

"Like it, don't you?" said the Key-bearer. "Excellent. Now, about your duties…of course, it goes without saying that if you put on the mask, you will take form of you Mask identity…let's see…" He peered at the book again.

"Butterfly. Your name is Butterfly…you don't seem to have any real weapon, but…of course. You use combat magic with your bare hands. Shooting darts, force fields…all that good stuff. And limited flight, of course…Excellent! We've haven't had one of _those_ for ages!

"Your duty, of course, is to fight Despairs. It says here that you're fighting style is suited for teams, especially pairs…yes. Good."

"Um…" Rin said. "What are Despairs, exactly?"

"Despairs? Didn't you just face one?"

Rin froze.

The Key-bearer continued. "You see, Masks are supposed to protect Civilians from Nightmares. The simplest – and most common way to do so is to fight Despairs, which are formed when a person undergoes grief, depression, trauma…anything like that. I believe you just met your own Despair…but once you take you Mask form, I'm positive it'll be a piece of cake for you. And as soon as you finish off your own Despair – remember to make _sure_ it's defeated so it doesn't come back – you can go and protect your lovely human friends! An excellent practice, yes?"

"Wait." Rin said. "You mean…that- that _monster_ that just almost killed me! That monster is a Despair?"

"Correct."

"It's my despair? And I have to kill it?"

"And many others, yes. I'm sure you'll kill plenty of them, and do an excellent job at it. You have quite a powerful aura, you know."

"Aura?"

"Your magic powers, I mean."

"Powers? But that's imposs-"

"Yes, yes," the Key-bearer waved a hand casually. "All you Masks say this at first. _Powers? But that's impossible! I don't have any powers. You must have the wrong person! I can't fight!_ "

Rin frowned. That had been exactly what she was going to say.

"But you're wrong." The Key-bearer said, smiling at her. It was the warmest smile he had given her yet. "You have great potential, Miss Rin. You will be _excellent_."

And he shut his book and straightened his suit, as if preparing to leave.

"Wait-"

"Ah, yes! One more thing! How could I have forgotten! And it's actually the most important thing!"

Out of thin air, the Key-bearer pulled an enormous golden key, shining even brighter than him. It was the size of desk lamp, but the Key-bearer handled it with ease, swinging it around gracefully and fluidly. Before Rin could react, he plunged the key straight into Rin's chest, into her heart – it passed through as if one of them were made of air. The key turned – she heard a loud clicking sound – and then, the Key-bearer withdrew the key and stepped back, grinning proudly at his work.

"Quick, now, put on your mask."

Taking a deep breath, Rin placed the mask over her face, not knowing what to expect.

" _Excellent!_ " the Key-bearer cried, as a bright light – just as bright as the key – engulfed her.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the light disappeared. She looked down at herself and gasped. She was wearing a completely different outfit.

Once again, the Key-bearer pulled an object out of thin air – this time, a full-length mirror. Rin looked and saw a girl whom she took a few moments to realize. Her blonde hair, formerly shoulder-length, was now waist-length. She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress that looked somewhat like a sailor outfit, sleek, thigh-length black boots, and long black gloves. The dress itself was mostly white, with a large yellow bow at the front and a black skirt.

The most notable thing about her appearance, however…was Rin's wing. Over her right shoulder was a single, luminous purple wing – the same wing as on her mask. Rin turned sideways, wondering if she could move the wing.

Rin suddenly shot ten feet the ground, hovered for a few seconds, and came crashing down.

"Excellent," the Key-bearer said. This time, it was Rin's time to jump in surprise; she had almost forgotten her presence as well. "You'll master that in no time. Good luck, Miss Butterfly!"

And in one fluid motion, the Key-bearer took the mirror and vanished, leaving Rin alone.

Rin took another deep breath. She expected to feel scared or shocked, but…she wasn't. In fact, this felt natural to her. It felt like she had finally returned home after a long day. It had been years since she felt this confident, this bold, this powerful…

Somehow, she believed what the man – the Key-bearer – had told her. Vocaloid City was a large place, and often, there had been many strange accidents. There had been rumors of a boy in a mask, a superhero, who had fought to protect the civilians.

It seemed that the city now needed another hero.

Now, Rin understood what being a Mask meant. As Butterfly, she would have to fight monsters and put herself in danger, and then she would become Rin again and head back home before anyone noticed she was gone. She had to live a double life – as both an average teenage girl, and a masked heroine.

Was it really worth this much? Was this really what she wanted?

Yes. She was honored – excited, even – to take on this identity. She was proud to wear her mask.

"Thank you," Butterfly whispered to the Key-bearer. And then, power coursing through her veins, she ran off, determined to bring down the Despair.

* * *

 **Len: holds a box of candy**

 **[box is snatched from his hands]**

 **Len: why**

 **Please review, and stay tuned for Chapter 2! THANK YOU! :)**

 ***disappears in an explosion of confetti***


	2. Knight in Shining Armor

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle does not own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: _Knight in Shining Armor_**

Rin didn't know what she was doing.

She tried to fly with her one butterfly wing, but merely glided for a few feet before landing again. She supposed her wing was useless for actual flight, and could only be used for gliding or leaping. As for her powers, she remembered that the Key-bearer had mentioned they were magic, which would be great – if only she knew how to use them. Fortunately, the mask's powers were already apparent: Rin had run for thirty minutes straight, faster than she had ever sprinted, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit of exhaustion. She wasn't even out of breath.

Somehow, Rin knew where the Despair was. She sensed a sense of darkness, of grief, lying at the heart of city – the place she was currently directly headed for. She didn't know what she would do when she got there, but she had to try something.

Finally, she saw it. The huge shadow was standing in the middle of a street intersection, roaring deafeningly. Besides its voice, the city was eerily silent – the cars on the streets were idling, windows dark and blank. Scattered pedestrians lied on the sidewalk, unmoving.

With a spurt of newfound strength, Rin glided onto the top of a building. It was at that exact moment when the Despair saw her as well. It grinned with its sickeningly wide mouth, no doubt wanting to eat her, and headed her direction.

Rin clenched her fists. The Key-bearer said she could do magic, did he not? Rin tried to imagine a ball of magical energy in her, her hands glowing with power. She tried to see herself chanting indecipherable spells at the monster, or pulling a wand out of thin air and doing spells. She closed her eyes and opened them, expecting to suddenly be able to perform magic.

Nothing happened.

The monster laughed chillingly, sending shivers down Rin's spine. It grabbed Rin around the waist, maintaining its grip on her waist despite her frantic kicks and flailing.

"LET ME GO – YOU – STUPID – PIECE OF – SHI-"

Out of nowhere, a black blur hurtled in front of Rin and slashed at the monster. The Despair retreated, snarling viciously, and then raised a hand to strike, but the figure grabbed Rin's arm and ran from the area. They fled out of the Despair's sight and line of reach, down countless sidewalks and streets, and into a narrow alley. It was so narrow that a grown man could have easily touched both sides by extending out his arms. The two walls looked like they were huddled together in fright.

"Hey!" Rin protested, struggling to wriggle her arm free. "What are you doing? Who are you?"

The figure let go of her arm, and both of them came to a stop, facing each other with their backs pressed against opposite walls. Across from Rin was a boy dressed in a long black clock with golden lapels. He had blond hair tied back in a messy ponytail and a simple, black mask upon his face – beyond which glinted amused golden eyes. A long rapier sword gleamed at his side.

He swept into a bow. "You alright, miss?"

"Um…I'm fine, thanks," Rin said, suddenly embarrassed. "Sorry for the trouble…I'm kind of new, so…"

"Yes, I _know_ you're a new Mask." The boy flashed a crooked smirk at her. "You must be that partner the Key-bearer told me about."

With a start, Rin realized who he was. "You…You're that superhero. N-night?"

"K-N-I-G-H-T," he spelled. "The amazing hero who's been protecting this place for the last place and a half. Alone. Or, at least I was, until you came along."

"Oh."

" _Oh_ ," the boy repeated, but it was more of a joking tone than a mocking one. "And your name is?"

"I'm…" For a heart stopping moment, Rin almost said 'Rin Akita.' Luckily, she caught herself just in time, and said instead: "Butterfly."

"A very beautiful one, indeed," he said, winking.

"Um…thanks?"

"Of course, for someone as good-looking and awesome as me, who else could be my partner except for a pretty girl? It's really the perfect match, you know-"

Rin cleared her throat. "I'm flattered, but there's still a monster roaming around…"

"No worries!" Knight fluidly drew out his sword. "Together, we'll defeat that Despair in no time! I'll just use my natural charms to woo you later.

"Okay…?" At this point, Rin was too bewildered to be annoyed by the boy's incessant flirting.

"I've got a plan," Knight said, eying the alleyway. "This is a pretty small place, right? So if we trap it in here-"

"But it's so crowded! Someone will definitely get hurt!"

Knight waved his hand casually. "Don't worry about it! Unless you let it get away, Despairs only physically hurt buildings. And after the battle, you can use its building to restore all the damage."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

There was a long, tense pause. Then, Rin said, "Let me guess. I'm going to have to lead it here?"

"Right on, princess."

* * *

"HEY!" Rin shouted at the top of her lungs. "YOU'RE…uh…UGLY!"

It was the only insult she could think of at the moment. She rarely ever said nasty things to other people.

The Despair turned and growled at Rin, swiping viciously in her direction. However, it didn't move towards her.

"Um…" Rin cast around for a better disparagement. "You're STUPID!"

The monster opened its vast mouth, as if it was yawning at how pathetic she was. Then, it turned away again.

Rin narrowed her eyes, mind racing. Earlier today, the monster had actively pursued her. Now, it was content with merely intimidating her at a distant. Earlier today, there had been no other pedestrians, but here they were right now, at the heart of the city – there were plenty of other people to focus on. Maybe that was why the monster was reluctant to move? But it was her ownDespair, after all…she knew it wanted to eat _her_ in particular. That meant the other people were just distractions, and Rin had to work harder to provoke the Despair to chase her.

How would Rin know how to insult her Despair, enough to make it chase her?

She had to hit its weak spots – _her_ weak spots.

Fluttering her wing, Rin scaled up the nearest building and leapt over two more rooftops, until she was directly beside the monster. It was pacing back and forth, peeking into windows and doors. Wherever it went, it left behind dark footprints that grew on their own, until the ground was covered in inky shadows.

"HEY!"

The monster made a distracted swipe at her head and growled, as if to say, _Oh, not again._

Rin took a deep breath. "Why come _here_ of all places? Even though there are a lot of people, nobody's outside! All your efforts are useless."

Having spotted another large building, the Despair snarled and started to lumber away from her.

Gritting her teeth, Rin glided along the rooftops. When the Despair stopped, she landed on a rooftop in front of it and came to a stop as well.

"You're useless!" she cried. "You're not even destroying anything!"

The Despair finally turned to her, eyes glowing.

Rin swallowed. It pained her to say it, but she forced herself to continue. "You're not causing anybody else despair, because nobody cares!"

The Despair growled and reached out a hand to grab Rin, but she dodged and quickly leapt onto another rooftop.

"Y-you…" Rin choked back tears. "YOU MIGHT AS WELL NOT EXIST!"

At long last, the Despair emitted a deafening roar and started towards her. She glided across building across building, the monster following in hot pursuit.

Roughly brushing tears from her eyes, Rin scanned below her for the narrow alley where Knight was waiting. Finally, she spotted it and dived down towards it, her wing slowing her down before her feet lightly touched upon the pavement.

Knight started. He stared at Rin, and then at the monster in the distance, growing ever closer. "You…You did it."

"Don't sound so shocked."

"No, no," Knight grinned. "I'm just surprised. Is that _your_ Despair?"

"Y-yes, it is."

The monster stopped a few feet away from them, swiveling its head back and forth. Just as they had planned, its lower half had become wedged between two buildings that were too large for it to knock down.

"Wait…" Knight's smile faded, as he looked back at Rin. "Are you crying?"

Rin averted her gaze. "So what do we do now?"

Knight hesitated, but upon her refusal to look up, he got the message – to leave the subject alone. "We attack it at the same time, with all we've got!

"One…

" _Two_ …

"THREE!"

Simultaneously, Rin and Knight launched themselves at the monster. Rin landed on top of the monster's right shoulder, pummeling her fists against the side of its head with as much strength as she could muster – which was a thousand times more the strength she had as a normal girl. Likewise, Knight slashed at the Despair with his rapier. Despite the lack of sun, his blade still gleamed as if it was in broad daylight.

"Urgh!" he grunted. The monster had caught his ankle and hurled him onto the ground.

"Knight!" Rin tried to help him, but the monster slammed its enormous hand onto the pavement, nearly squashing her.

Knight leapt up and plunged his sword deep into the monster's leg. Roaring in pain, it shook him off, tossing him against a stone wall like a rag doll. Numb with pain, Knight watched helplessly as the monster plucked his sword out of its shin and observed it. In the monster's tree sized fingers, Knight's sword looked like nothing more than a harmless toothpick.

And then, the Despair opened its endless mouth and swallowed the sword in one giant gulp.

"No…" Knight sank to his knees. The sword was his only weapon, his only hope…without it, he wasn't a real Mask anymore. He was just a normal teenage boy.

"Knight!" Butterfly appeared before him. From what little he could see of her face, she was terrified. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry…"

Knight groaned and got back on his feet, wincing. He felt just as scared ad Butterfly looked, but he tried to maintain a calm façade.

"I can't fight without my sword," he told her. "Sorry, but you'll have to finish it up, princess."

Butterfly's mouth dropped open. "But how? I don't even know how to use magic yet!"

Knight carefully gazed at the girl before him. It was true that Butterfly wasn't accustomed to her powers yet. It was true that they barely knew each other. But he sensed her power. Somehow, Knight knew that Butterfly, the girl with the purple butterfly on her shoulder, had the ability to defeat the Despair – any Despair. He knew that her unlocked heart contained far more magic and light than she showed. She was the true knight in shining armor.

"You can," Knight said. "I know you can. The Key-bearer chose you for a reason. He didn't unlock your heart for nothing!"

"But I-"

Butterfly never got to finish her sentence. In a flash, the Despair appeared behind her, picked her up, and swallower her whole, just as it had done with Knight's sword.

"BUTTERFLY!"

* * *

"You might as well not exist…"

" _You might as well not exist…_ "

" _I might as well not exist…_ "

It was dark and silent. Rin was curled up in fetal position, half asleep. She couldn't tell if she was lying down or floating. She didn't know if she was alive or dead, or what had happened to Knight. She didn't know whether she was a Despair or a Mask.

Vivid images burned themselves against her closed eyelids. She was a helpless infant, giggling at her parent's faces. She was a waddling tot, bawling her eyes out after tripping over a toy. Her mother rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…

She was a child, looking out the window and wondering what the outside world was like…wondering what she herself was like. She was a scared young girl, standing at the entryway of a school for the first time after nine years of home-school, surrounded by staring, merciless faces.

 _I might as well not exist…_

What was her name again? Who was she again?

 _Who was she?_

"Wake up…"

 _I might as well not exist…_

"Snap out of it…"

 _I might as well-_

"Snap out of it, Rin!"

Suddenly, Rin opened her eyes. She was floating in an abyss of nothingness. It was so dark that she could see her own hands, and yet, as she looked around, she saw a glimmer of light. It was infinitely small, and so dim that she could barely glimpse it, but she still saw it nevertheless. Shaking herself out of her stupor, Rin willed herself closer to the light, and found it growing bigger and bigger, and brighter and brighter.

" _The Key-bearer chose you for a reason…"_

"Yes," Rin told herself. "He chose you. He-"

Rin stopped. The light was gone. Panic clawed at her throat.

 _What? How could this be? Didn't I already…_

Rin clamped her hands over her eyes, and then hesitantly peeked through her fingers. The light wasn't there. She was surrounded by utter darkness and silence, floating in the shadows…floating in Despair.

Knight's voice returned to her. _"The Key-bearer chose you for a reason. He didn't unlock your heart for nothing!"_

"Unlocked…my heart?"

She thought of her parents…her wonderful, loving parents. They were always there for her, no matter what. On the first day of kindergarten, they had encouraged her to make new friends and try new things. However, when she arrived home that day covered in scratches and bruises, tears streaming down her face, they let her cry on their shoulders and allowed her to stay home, away from the other children that had hurt her. They allowed her to stay home for weeks, months, years…They let her become a home-schooled child, never having to venture out into the world that had hurt her so much. But when the time for high school came, Rin's parents had encouraged her to go out again, reassuring her that nobody was going to hurt her anymore, that she was a much stronger girl than before…

Rin thought of Gumi. On her first day of school, Rin had been utterly alone, terrified of what could happen, trapped in the memories of the past. The tomboyish girl with cat-like eyes and spiky green hair, dressed in punkish clothes, had warmly welcomed her. From then on, Gumi always stood by Rin's side and guarded her from all harm. She fiercely defended Rin when others bullied her, and scolded Rin when she was overly clumsy or shy.

Finally, Rin thought of Len. He might not like her back, or even care about her in the slightest, but besides Gumi, he was the first classmate of hers to treat her nicely. Back then, when she hardly ever spoke a word to anyone besides Gumi and the school counselor, he had shared his umbrella with her when she forgot her own, and had walked her home. Since then, she had gradually opened up to others and found herself becoming less and less shy as time went on.

Rin smiled. She understood now. The light…came from inside her heart.

Closing her eyes, Rin sucked in a deep breath and saw a soft, golden glow from within the darkness. It washed over her like a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day, or a warm, crackling fire on a winter night. It gave her strength and power, reminding her that she was Rin Akita and Butterfly. It was her Magic.

The Despair gave way.

The monster that had swallowed Butterfly halted mid-step. Its belly was glowing with light that grew stronger and stronger each second. Just as the monster opened its mouth to let loose a shriek of pain, it burst open, exploding in a shower of light and color. Out of the dissipating shadows leapt a graceful figure. She landed lightly on the ground, directly beside where the Despair lay motionless, and shot a single golden bolt of light out of her hands.

The bolt struck the monster in the head.

The Despair vanished. As it disappeared, so did the shadowy footprints on the ground. All the damaged buildings slowly started to fix themselves, and one by one, the fallen pedestrians started to wake up.

"Hey," Butterfly said. "You okay?"

Knight's jaw dropped.

Butterfly smiled. She picked up Knight's rapier off the ground and handed it over to him.

"How…How did you…"

"You were right," Butterfly said. "I…I listened to what you said about my heart. I couldn't have survived without that."

There was a long moment of silence, where Knight struggled to regain his composure. Previously, he had thought Butterfly would prove to be a good partner, and he wouldn't mind working with a nice person like her.

Now, he knew that he loved her.

Looking at Knight out of the corner of her bright blue eyes, Butterfly tried and failed to suppress a snort of laughter. "I guess…that light from inside the monster looked kind of weird?"

"Not at all, my queen," Knight said, gratefully taking the sword from her hands and sheathing it. "I guess I should get used to it now, because you light up my world."

Butterfly gave him an exasperated yet amused glance. "So…I guess you're alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," said Knight. "And you're _fine_."

"Oookay…" Butterfly spread her palms. A light pink blush spread across the bottom half of her face. "That's enough. I should…probably head home for supper now. My parents will be worried."

Straightening his cloak, Knight smiled. "Want me to walk you home?"

"No need."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"About that…" Butterfly frowned, her voice trailing off.

"Yes?"

She bit her lip and continued. "Look, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. We _do_ make a pretty good duo after all-"

"I agree-"

"But we shouldn't know about each other's identities." Butterfly carefully looked into Knight's eyes, as if trying to read his mind. "There's probably a reason why we have masks in the first place, so I don't think we should ever tell each other our real names."

Knight pushed his hair back, away from his forehead. "Shame you can't see this handsome face, though."

"Oh, shut up." This was said in an amused, almost playful way, as far as he could tell.

"Someday, though, I _would_ like to find out who the beautiful girl behind that mask is."

"You'll have to wait a long time, then," said Butterfly.

Knight groaned. It was evident now that Butterfly was serious about what she had said. Of course, he could understand her reasoning behind it, but that didn't mean he liked it much.

"I'm willing to wait. I'll do anything for you, my lovely fairy."

Butterfly rolled her eyes. It was a stupid nickname, but she was too tired to argue with him right now. All she wanted to do was to go home.

As Butterfly turned away and walked off, Knight called after her: "Just _please_ tell me already! _Who are you?_ "

But the only reply he received was: "That's for me to know and you to find out!"

* * *

 **Here's a shoutout to my lovely readers and reviewers:**

 **Kagamine Rin 517: Glad you like it! Don't worry, he'll think very differently soon enough ;)**

 **AmourArrows: I LOVE Miraculous! This fanfic is actually inspired by it!**

 **WolfHuntress: Thank you! :D :D**

 **Please read and review, my lovelies. Stay tuned for Chapter 3! Thank you! *** **disappears in an explosion of glitter and sparkles***


	3. Sweet and Sour

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: _Sweet and Sour_**

Rin's stomach growled. She looked at the sky, and was relieved to see that the sun was just about to set. Casting a glance around her – luckily, there weren't many pedestrians around – she hid behind a tall tree and transformed back into her civilian attire. Then, Rin eagerly made her way home: the rightmost residence on the fifth floor of the last building on Crypton Street. The earliest memory she had of her childhood was lispingly chanting her home's address over and over again, learning it by heart. In her opinion, her home was the best residence in the most comfortable, spacious apartment building in the city – the best home one could possibly ask for.

"I'm home!" Rin called as she stepped over the threshold, the warm aroma of green onion soup washing over her.

"We were just getting worried," said her mother, taking a steaming pot off of the stove. She was a stout, friendly-looking woman with twinkling blue eyes and a pretty face that always seemed to be smiling. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Ma! I had a club meeting." Rin set down her backpack beside a wall and started to set up the table. Papa was, no doubt, in another room, typing up a report for work.

"That's alright, dear. Just make sure you call me before the meeting next time."

Rin nodded.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Ma said. "Gumi dropped by earlier. She wanted know if you were okay. Did something happen?"

"No, not really…" Rin's stomach churned, but it wasn't from hunger. It was from guilt.

"Are you sure, honey? You seem a bit off to me."

"I'm just hungry, Ma!" Rin forced a laugh. "Your cooking smells _too_ good!"

"When you're done setting up the table, honey, you should probably call her. She seemed worried."

Indeed, as soon as Rin finished placing the last plate on the table, she grabbed her bag, flew down the hallway to her room, and rummaged about for her cell phone. As she dialed Gumi's number, Rin glanced around her bedroom.

It wasn't too messy, but it wasn't exactly that neat either. By a large window adorned with delicate, lacy curtains sat Rin's bed – the tidiest part of the whole place. On the other side of the bed was a glass door: it led to a small balcony decorated with carefully tended flowers. It was Rin's favorite place in the whole world because it faced east, and on still quiet, mornings, she liked to draw up a wooden stool and watch the sunset.

The walls of the room were a light, cheerful pale pink, but their color was mostly obscured by countless posters and drawings tacked up to the wall. Most of them were Rin's paintings and sketches from over the years, and a few were posters of Rin's favorite bands and animes. There were also numerous photographs pinned to the walls – quite a few of which were dedicated to Len.

Anyone who saw the bedroom would be thoroughly impressed that so many objects could fit into one room. The room was dominated by a cluttered, worn bookshelf, crammed to bursting point with novels and art books. In a corner was a small electric keyboard that was old but evidently well taken care of. On the opposite side of the room, where Rin was currently sitting, was her tiny desk. Its surface was tidy, but its rickety drawers were stuffed with drawing supplies, sketches, and loose pages of sheet music. Despite the room's crammed state, though, it felt cozy and inviting, and looked rather pretty – if one didn't focus too much on the hastily concealed messiness.

The most intriguing – as well as the most beautiful – part of the room, by far, was the ceiling. Rather than plain white, as in most rooms, the ceiling of Rin's room was a glow-in-the-dark constellation of stars. It was painted so vividly, in bold, contrasting colors that it seemed to breathe. Whenever Rin felt agitated or upset, she would look at the ceiling and imagine that there was no ceiling, no room, no house – that the whole world was just her and the endless night sky. Sometimes, she would even imagine herself as one of the stars she had so meticulously painted.

Currently, Rin looked up and sighed. As Butterfly, she had been so exhilarated to find her powers. Now that she was just plain old Rin again, she felt almost strange.

"Hello?"

Rin jumped, pulling herself out of her thoughts. "Gumi? Ma said you came here earlier?"

"Yeah, I did." Beneath the phone's static, Gumi's voice sounded strained and weary. "I wanted to see if you were okay. After that…incident, you know…"

Once again, Rin jumped. So much had happened that day, what with becoming Butterfly and fighting the Despair with Knight that she had almost forgotten that she had tried to confess to her crush and failed miserably. "Oh, uh…I'm fine now…"

"Translation: you feel like crap."

Rin winced. Again, a surge of guilt took hold of her; this was the first time in her life keeping something from her best friend. She felt miserable for not being honest with Gumi – the two girls always shared all their secrets with each other – but she had promised herself that she wouldn't let anyone find out about Butterfly's identity. Gumi was no exception.

"Honestly, I'm okay." Rin hoped she sounded convincingly happy. "After I left school, I kind of just cried on my own a little bit and let it all out. I'm better now, just tired."

Gumi hesitated. "That's good."

"Yeah."

There was a pause. Then Gumi said, "He didn't actually reject you, you know."

"Sure."

"No, I'm serious. Len never actually said that he _didn't_ likeyou."

"His exact words were, 'thank you for the gift, sorry but-'"

"That was probably about the chocolate, silly."

"He…rejected me because of the chocolate?"

"No, you idiot!" Gumi said. "Len wasn't going to reject you; he was only refusing the chocolate! He might've even asked you out if it weren't for those two stupid scumbags!"

"Oh." Despite Rin's guilt, her heart lifted. She knew she could always count on Gumi to cheer her up, one way or another. Her best friend wasn't an overtly affectionate or sappy person, so she made up for it by either cracking jokes or coming up with her own solutions – even if they were a bit illogical.

"So, what're you going to do now?" asked Gumi.

Rin bit her lip. "I don't know. I'm probably going to lay off him now. I doubt he actually likes me-"

"Don't you dare. You love him and he _will_ love you back."

Rin was silent. Even though Gumi was trying her best to be optimistic, both of them knew that Len was, in fact, going to reject Rin in the gentlest way possible. Even so, Rin smiled and said: "Thanks, Gumi."

Gumi chuckled. "No problem, my friend. I have to go now; my sister's asking me for help on her homework."

At this, Rin laughed as well. "Which one?" Gumi had three sisters and three brothers – and she herself was the eldest. Often, Rin envied Gumi for her siblings and lively household, but Gumi always complained about it, and claimed that she envied Rin for being an only child.

"The annoying one. Sonika. Bye! We'll discuss your wooing plans tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

 _Click_.

 _That was really sweet of her, wasn't it?_ Rin thought.

"Rin!" Ma's voice called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, Ma!"

* * *

Butterfly…the beautiful, elusive Butterfly…

Who was she?

Knight sat on a low, rough brick wall and glanced around him. The sun had set; only a faint orange tinge remained in the dimming sky. Reluctantly, Knight stood up and trudged home.

 _Home…_ To be honest, it could hardly be called that.

He lived in a mansion – one of the biggest and grandest in Vocaloid City. It made sense, seeing as how his father was the wealthiest man. Knight supposed that meant he himself was the most miserable boy.

The mansion was a beautiful, haughty, cold stone structure. Its numerous columns and turrets were elegantly shaped and ornamented, but to Knight, they were nothing but prison walls. Even the walls of the place were a uniform dull gray. Every single window pane was checkered with bars, and from the inside, every window was covered with thick, heavy curtains. There were countless rooms in the mansion, but Knight was only ever allowed in three of them: his bedroom, the dining hall, and his father's study.

The mansion's inhabitants were just as desolate as the building. Of course, there was the mansion's owner – a cold, harsh man – and his wretched son. There was also a maid: a washed out, elderly spinster. She used to serve the mansion's lady before her death, but had since faded away into a grim, wizened old thing. Knight was aware that the mansion also had a butler and a cook, but he rarely, if ever, saw them. All he knew was that the maid was the only person at home he truly interacted with. Even his father rarely paid heed to him.

Knight glanced around, and then quietly climbed up the front of the mansion and crouched on one of the numerous window ledges. He peeked into a gap between the curtains. The maid was in the room, doing housekeeping and cleaning work, all the while mumbling to herself. Despite her age, she was quick and nimble in her work, and finished in just a few minutes. As soon as her skirt swept out of the door, Knight carefully pried the window open and slipped in. Due to his constant imploring, his bedroom window was the only one in the whole mansion that didn't have a lock.

Just as Knight removed his mask, there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in."

The maid reentered the room to find a boy sitting at his desk, reading.

"Master Len, where have you been?" Despite her ancient appearance, the maid still had three things that would forever remain quick and vigorous: her hands, her outspoken tongue, and her shrewd eyes. Every day, she used her hands to serve Len and housekeep his room, while she used her tongue and eyes to engage him in battle.

Len straightened and nonchalantly covered the book with his arm. It was upside down. "I…lost something, so I had to go back to the school to find it."

The old maid tutted in disapproval. "You've been getting more and more unmanageable ever since you started attending public school, young man. Sometimes I wonder why I convinced your father to transfer you, and you doing so well at that boarding school…"

As she rambled on, Len furtively lifted the book, slipped out the mask from underneath, and stowed it away in his backpack, which was sitting at his feet beneath the desk.

"…and now look at you, wandering around at dark like a hooligan! Nobody raised you to become anything but a high-class gentleman! And at school – the other students! Can you imagine, there are children already _courting_ each other! And you-"

Len jumped at her sudden accusatory tone.

"What do you think you're doing, young man, flirting with so many girls like that? Why, in my day, if a gentleman did that-"

"I don't flirt with anyone, Meiko, I swear! Why do you always-"

"And every day," Meiko cut in. "You're becoming more and more like one of _them!_ Commoners! You would even interrupt this poor old woman here! _Interrupt_! Oh, the nerve!"

Len didn't know whether to laugh or roll his eyes. In truth, he knew he couldn't do either, because practically any sign of exasperation or disrespect from him would launch the maid into two more hours of lecturing. So instead, he satisfied himself with turning back to his desk and doing homework – for real, this time.

After what felt like an eternity, Meiko finally satisfied herself, flouncing out of the room with a final: "I'm watching you, young man!" Then, she shut the door. At this, Len flinched.

He knew that Meiko would come back to serve his dinner to him. Like always, his father was holding a conference with his wealthy colleagues and associates in the dining hall, talking about how they could "improve the lives of the city's residents" and not taking any action, so by default, Len had to eat in the only other room he was allowed in: his bedroom.

Len's room was enormous – so large that no amount of mahogany furniture, velvet cushions, or bearskin rugs could conceal its emptiness. He knew practically everyone else would kill for a room like his, but he would rather live in a broom shed than here. Most bedrooms could be observed to accurately infer the owner's personality and hobbies, but Len's bedroom – just like the mansion – was cold and blank as stone.

It had a lofty ceiling and the lights were always too dim. It had various couches and armchairs that looked charming in daylight and sinister at night. The rich bearskin rugs were comfortable to step upon barefooted, but in semidarkness, they looked like masses of shadows that forcibly reminded Len of Despairs. The four-poster bed had a magnificent bedspread and was enveloped with thick drapery – musty for lack of use, because Len loathed enclosing himself in the dark folds.

Along one side of the room ran a lengthy glass cabinet – since Meiko was required to keep it spotless, Len wasn't permitted to touch it. Inside the cabinet, of course, were displayed Len's countless trophies: fencing, violin, piano, math, swimming, and other things Len didn't care about. The walls were patterned in a light floral pattern, and were absolutely blank save for a full length portrait of Len's father, which the boy always avoided making eye contact with. He always felt like his father was watching and isolating him, even in his own room. Once, Len had tried tacking a photograph of him and his friends from school to the wall, and had received a slap in the face as a result. He was also grounded for a week – not that that made any difference.

Len's writing desk and high backed chair were the type one would expect an elderly gentleman to use – so naturally, Len usually did his homework sitting on his bed, squinting from the dim light of his lamp. Of course, he had to sit at the desk and pretend it was normal for him whenever Meiko was around. His father rarely came to see him, and when he did wish to speak to his son, he summoned Len to his study: an extravagant, lavishly decorated room that resembled a throne room more than an office. Most of the time, however, the study was locked shut, and Len was confined to his room, staring at the high ceiling and the floral walls.

Perhaps the only thing in the room that showed any sign of Len himself was a small, wooden picture frame sitting on his nightstand. It showed a smiling boy, about age twelve, and a fair young woman. Every night before going to bed, Len would smile at the photo and kiss his dead mother good night. She had always been rather weak, but four years ago she had become bedridden, and had passed away two years later. Ever since then, Len's father became more and more distant until he turned into nothing but a faceless, cold statue.

Len still remembered her well. While his father always urged him to study and work, to act like a grown man at a young age, to discard his personality and become cold and heartless, his mother loved him dearly. She was gentle yet firm with him, and glowed with kindness. Len never saw her say a harsh word to anybody. When he was a young child, small enough to sit on his mother's thin knees, she would share treats with him: cookies, mints, and Len's favorite – chocolates. Their time together – the bond between mother and son – was the sweetest treat of all. There was nobody in the world that Len loved more, and there was nobody in the world who loved Len more. He was almost certain now, too, that there was nobody left in the world who loved him at all.

After his mother's death, Len had taken a single bite out of a piece of chocolate and puked. Since then, he couldn't bring himself to eat the sweet at all – the memory of his mother was too strong, and under his father's influence, all memories grew sour.

Len loathed his bedroom. He despised his bedroom and its walls, floor, ceiling, furniture, glass cabinet, and rugs. But most of all, Len hated the door to his bedroom – the dark, tall, oaken door. It was what kept him in this prison. It was what kept him under his father's control. There was nothing more in the world that he hated more. Even if Len's father kicked him out of the house one day, Len would be relieved to get away from the door. Only a dungeon could be worse.

Len hated his door. He absolutely hated it, hated his door with all his heart – because it locked from the outside.

* * *

 **I was kind of experimenting with this chapter. I know not a lot happened in it, but I was just trying to display Rin and Len's personalities/families with details about their rooms. Tell me in the reviews about how I did :D**

 **(BTW I know Meiko is not actually an old lady, but I decided aging her up was better for this fanfic's plot. She _is_ the oldest Japanese Vocaloid, so...ya)**

 **Shoutouts:**

 **AmourArrows: THANK YOU! AHHHHH *satisfied writer screams***

 **Someone: Don't worry, I am NOT abandoning this. NOT EVEN SCHOOL OR VIOLIN CAN STOP ME! XD**

 **Kagamine Rin 517: That's a cool idea! In future chapters plenty of other characters will appear/be expanded on, so it _is_ a possibility...?**

 **Please review, my precious children! Stay tuned for Chapter 4! *bursts into flames***


	4. The Ice Queen

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: _The Ice Queen_**

"Hey, watch where you're going, freak!"

Someone's foot stuck out, colliding painfully with Rin's shin. Grunting, she tumbled to the floor, her backpack bursting open and scattering books and papers everywhere. Rubbing her smarting knees, Rin stood up and glared at the retreating teal-haired figure that had tripped her.

Sighing, Rin glanced around. All of her homework, textbooks, and writing utensils were strewn around on the ground. Class was starting in five minutes, and the school courtyard was nearly empty by now, save for a few latecomers who were in too much of a hurry to stop and help Rin. Even worse: loose pages from her sketchbook were scattered all over, displaying her drawings for the world to see.

She had to clean up the mess before anyone saw her art. Luckily, since the courtyard was so empty by now, it was unlikely that anyone would-

"Rin?" A voice said. "What happened?"

Rin internally groaned, stomach clenching in humiliation. It was Len.

"I, uh…" Rin said. "I tripped."

To her chagrin, Len instantly bent down and started to help her pick up her things.

"Oh, n-no no no," Rin stammered, mortified. "It's okay, y-you don't have to…"

"It's okay," Len said, handing her a neatly stacked pile of papers. "We still have time."

In order to avoid stammering any more, Rin shut her mouth and frantically gathered up the last of her belongings, all the while watching Len out of the corner of her eyes. Then she gasped.

"W-What are you doing – no, don't pick that up – n-no, no, don't-"

Rin gasped and clamped her hands over her eyes. Len had spotted and picked up one of her recent drawings – a colored drawing of a purple butterfly, perched on a red rose. She had just drawn it a couple of days ago – the night after which she had first become Butterfly. Not only was it embarrassing, but Rin also feared that Len would put two and two together and figure out that she was Butterfly!

"Wow…" Len's voice sounded awed. "Did you draw this?"

Slowly, Rin peeked through her eyes and nodded.

Len smiled, wearing a strange look on his face. "It's really good."

There was a pause. And then Len frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm, I'm just m-marvelous, simply marlevous!" _Marlevous._ Again, Rin covered her face with her hands.

There was another, even longer pause. And then Len cleared his throat and began: "Listen…about the other day-"

Rin gasped and made a dramatic show of checking her watch, brandishing it in front of Len's nose. "Would you took at the lime! Uh, I mean l-look the at- um, tanks! Tanks for, uh…T-thanks!"

Taking the drawing from Len's hands, Rin snatched her backpack from the ground, violently zipped it shut, and started to scurry away. From behind her, Len called: "Class is that way."

"O-Oh, right…"

When she realized Len was walking beside her, Rin prayed that she could melt into a gooey puddle: she suddenly remembered that they shared the same class. Of course, Rin wanted to _be_ with her crush – but not like this! Whenever she daydreamed about becoming friendly enough with him to spend time together, she imagined herself as cool, suave, and sophisticated – definitely not a stuttering fool! Luckily, Len didn't try to say anything else to Rin for the rest of the way to class, or she would've made an even bigger fool of herself.

Just as Rin and Len reached their respective seats (Len sat in the front row and Rin sat directly behind him), the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. Len, of course, nodded politely to Rin and quietly sat down. On the other hand, Rin merely averted her gaze, nearly dropping her pencil pouch and creating another mess. Seated beside her, Gumi smirked.

"How did you end up walking with _him_?"

"I tripped and dropped my stuff," Rin said. "He helped me."

"Who was it this time, Luka or Miku?"

"Miku."

Gumi snickered. "Who knew that that evil ice queen would end up being your wing-girl?"

Rin clicked her tongue impatiently. "It did more harm than help, I think. Now Len thinks I'm clumsy!"

"He _knows_ you're clumsy, you mean."

"Gumi!" Rin said, faking a hurt tone. Both of the girls giggled, trying but failing to stifle their laughter with their hands.

"Girls!" snapped the teacher from the front of the classroom, rapping impatiently on his desk with his knuckles. "Will you pay attention, please? Class has started already!"

"Sorry!" Rin and Gumi said in unison.

One row behind them and two desks to the left, two boys also jumped at the teacher's reprimand. After realizing that it wasn't directed at them, however, they went back to their conversation.

"So what do you reckon?" asked the boy on the right. He was tall and lean, and would have been quite attractive if it weren't for his messy blue hair, buck-toothed grin, and characteristically goofy, childish expression.

"I don't know," replied the second boy, who had silver hair and heterochromatic eyes, and was rather small for his age. "I don't think she likes candy."

"What _does_ she like then?" asked the first.

"Beats me," said the second, shrugging. "You're the one with the crush, Kaito."

Kaito frowned. "No, seriously. I don't think she likes _anything._ "

"Even you?"

"Piko! That's not funny!"

"Serves you right for choosing a girl like _her_ to fall in love with." Piko grumbled. "You could've chosen that pretty Teto girl over there, or Rin, or Tei. Even Gumi would be better – I know she's scary, but she's _nowhere_ near as terrifying as _that_ girl. You just _had_ to choose literally the coldest-hearted woman in the whole school, didn't you?"

"She's beautiful, Piko…"

The silver-haired boy sighed, glancing around the classroom for inspiration. "Give her a flower. And maybe a love poem or something."

"I wish!" Kaito snorted. "You know I can't write for my life."

Piko rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Just treat it like a school essay. Copy it off the internet or something."

"That's a great-"

"Silence!" snapped the teacher, eyes flashing murderously. Kaito and Piko jumped and cursed under their breaths. "That's the second time I've had to issue a warning today, and it's only been ten minutes into the first period! Next time someone talks, I'll give them detention!"

Instantly, the class hushed. Even Rin and Gumi and Kaito and Piko fell silent.

* * *

"She's so cool…"

"I know, right?"

"She's like, the best superhero e _ver!_ "

"She and Knight make the perfect pair, don't you think?"

Rin shuffled her feet nervously.

It was break, and most of Rin's classmates were talking enthusiastically with one another about the new superhero Butterfly. News of the night Butterfly and Knight teamed up to defeat the Despair spread like wildfire, and now everyone was already gossiping about who was behind Butterfly's mask. They were in awe of her gracefulness, strength, courage, wit, and magical powers. They were in awe of how seamlessly she had teamed up with Knight, and how effortlessly they had brought down the monster and saved Vocaloid City. They were excited for what would happen in the future – excited for more of Butterfly, as well as more of Butterfly and Knight. And to Rin's chagrin, they also gossiped about the relationship between the two superheroes.

It was wrong…so utterly wrong! Rin didn't like Knight; she liked Len!

Rin was so occupied with her conflicting thoughts and emotions that, for the first time, she didn't notice Len – even when he came her way and sat down on the low wooden bench beside her. Neither did she notice Gumi, on her opposite side, frown and lean towards Len.

Len shifted uncomfortably. Gumi was widely known for her intimidating air, and he could see why: the current look she was sending him sent shivers up his spine, and it wasn't even one of her angry expressions! "Um…is something wrong?"

Gumi tilted her head. "Well…this is weird."

"What?"

"You know…I can't believe I've never noticed it before," said Gumi, continuing to stare at Len. He silently wished she would stop that soon; there were already more than enough girls constantly ogling him wherever he went.

" _What?_ "

"Your hair," Gumi said slowly. "It kind of looks like that superhero what's-his-face-"

"Knight," Len corrected automatically. Only once the word had left his mouth did he internally curse himself. Gumi was bound to grow suspicious now, if she wasn't already before. And if Gumi found out Len was Knight, then she would surely tell Rin, and then soon enough everyone would know, and even his father-

"Yep," said the green-haired girl. "Your hair is exactly the same as Knight's. Don't you think so too, Rin?"

Suddenly, Rin snapped out of her reverie, noticed Len beside her, and yelped, a crimson blush spreading across her face. After a moment, she managed to collect herself and half shrugged, half nodded.

Len gulped and chuckled nervously. His mind raced frantically, grasping for a plausible excuse. "I, um…I'm actually a huge fan of Knight's, so…"

Rin frowned. Len, _Knight's_ fan? How ridiculous! Knight was utterly annoying and cocky, and Len was a perfect, charming gentleman – the two of them were practically the polar opposites of each other. Len was thousands of times better than Knight!

Gumi smirked at Len. Despite her best friend's crush on him, Gumi had always thought Mr. Goody Two Shoes was a bit on the bland side, so she was rather excited to finally discover that he had at least a little personality. "So, do you cosplay as him or something? Knight, I mean."

Len's heart stopped. He tried for a convincing laugh – hopefully convincing enough to throw Gumi off his trail – and said, "No, that wouldn't work at all! He and I look nothing like each other! It's only the hair."

Rin vigorously nodded. "Yeah, you guys are nothing like each other! You're complete opposites. You have _so_ much more class - I mean, you're so much more cool….um…" Her voice trailed off awkwardly, and she averted her eyes from Len, coughing.

As soon as the two girls turned away from him (it took Rin more than a few moments to tear her eyes off of her crush), Len breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Gumi had finally stopped thinking about how much he resembled Knight; she didn't seem to be speaking with Rin about the superhero anymore. However, Len's thoughts still lingered on Rin – she didn't seem to like Knight very much, did she?

In truth, Len wasn't at all sure who he saw himself as: Knight or Len? Len or Knight? Which one of them was he, really? Len supposed his true self was a mix between the two, but it was probably much closer to Knight – or so he hoped. After all, Knight didn't have an overbearing, heartless father, and he wasn't constantly imprisoned in his own home. He was free to do whatever he wanted, act however he saw fit, and speak his mind. Knight had control over his fate and wasn't completely powerless over his own life, unlike Len Kagamine.

Butterfly was right. There was a reason they were given masks by the Key-bearer – a reason their identities were unknown. It was only right for those identities to be kept secret.

Len almost laughed at the irony. Sometimes, he felt as if Len Kagamine were the one with the mask, rather than Knight.

* * *

Kaito fidgeted. In one hand, he held a single red rose, its thorny stem wrapped in green tissue paper and tied with a small ribbon. In the other hand, he held a crumpled half-sheet of lined paper – on which the following lines were scrawled in nearly unintelligible handwriting:

 _Your beautiful blue hair is as blue as the sea._

 _You're blue eyes are also really blue and really pretty._

 _your really smart and awesome and cool_

 _I love you realy much and you totally rule._

 _I really love you a lot and want to be you're boyfriend._

 _because your really beautiful and i realy want to be you're boyfriend_ *****

Choosing to partly ignore Piko's advice, Kaito had decided to write the poem himself instead of copying some sappy lines from the internet. Surely this was much more beautiful and heartfelt; he had spent nearly an hour on it. In Kaito's opinion, it was the best piece of literature ever written in history – far better than anything Shakespeare or Dickens could dream up.

Kaito didn't quite understand why Piko had blankly stared at him and then walked away upon reading the poem; neither did he understand why his sister had exploded into tears of mirth when Kaito showed it to her. He supposed they were just jealous of his natural literary talent. His poem _was_ absolutely amazing, after all; less talented people were bound to grow envious.

With this masterpiece, there was no doubt that Kaito would be able to win over the girl's affections!

Taking a deep breath, Kaito tried to smooth his hair. He was standing outside a classroom door, bound to open at any moment. Any second now, she would come walking through, he would confess his feelings of undying love, and they would marry and live happily ever after…

The classroom door opened. Kaito gasped.

"Miku! Miku, wait up!"

To his delight, the teal-haired girl stopped to look at him. Kaito's breath caught in excitement.

Miku Hatsune was the most beautiful girl in school. In contrast with Luka, her fair, buxom friend, Miku was beautiful in a cold, haughty way. While Luka always wore a sweet smile on her face – even when she wasn't acting quite so sweet – Miku's smiles were always icy. There was something alluring about her hardened expression; there was never a girl with such a mysterious, dangerous aura. Miku's own smiles looked like those of a predator or warrior, but her peals of laughter sounded like chiming, silvery bells in the distance. It was Kaito's dream to be the cause of Miku's smiles and laughter one day.

"Yes?" Miku said, coolly eyeing Kaito. Like always, Luka was at her side.

Kaito grinned. "Hi, my name's Kaito Shion. We have a lot of classes together, so-"

"Yes, I know you. What do you want?"

"I, um…" Kaito trailed off, suddenly embarrassed. He glanced at Luka awkwardly. "Can we…talk alone?"

Luka smiled sweetly, winking at Kaito. "No problem, hot stuff. Take all the time you want." Then, she walked away. Grateful, Kaito smiled back and waved at her retreating figure.

He didn't understand why everyone said these two girls were so horrible. They were so kind and sweet…especially Miku.

"So," Miku said. Kaito blushed and turned his focus back on her. "What did you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you that I, uh…"

"Well?"

"I love you!" Kaito burst out. Miku opened her mouth, but Kaito pulled out his handwritten poem before she could say anything.

As he recited the words, he tried to observe her expression out of the corner of his eyes, but to no avail: her face looked completely like stone. As soon as Kaito said the last line, he whipped out his flower and proudly held it out to Miku.

"So, what do you think?"

Silently, Miku took the rose and turned it over in her hands. Her fingers were thin and graceful.

Kaito cleared his throat. "What do you think?" he repeated.

There was nothing but silence. And then, he heard it – the tinkling peals of laughter so dear to him.

A hopeful smile slowly spread across Kaito's face, along with a warm glow in his heart. "Do you…do you like it?"

Miku paused for breath, wiping tears of amusement from her face. Her eyes, however, remained cold and untouched. " _Like_ it?"

Kaito's heart thrummed with delight. _She loved it…she loved him back…she was going to-_

"You moron," Miku sniggered, carelessly tossing the flower to the ground and grinding it to pieces beneath her heel. "You think I would like an idiot like _you_? How adorable!"

"W-what…?"

"I don't think I've ever meant someone so _stupid_ and _brainless_! I mean, I guess you're proof that the human race can evolve backwards!"

Kaito choked back tears. "Okay," he said, forcing the words out of his throat. "I get it. You don't like me. I'm…I'll be going now…"

But Miku wouldn't let him leave just like that. She thrived on other people's despair, and took every chance she had to vent her own feelings out on her schoolmates. Of course, Rin Akita was a favorite, being as insecure as she was; the same went for Piko Utatane and Tei Sukone. Teto Kasane and Gackupo Kamui were also easy targets, but Teto was too shallow to be hurt that deeply, and Gackupo was too egotistical. Gumi Megpoid, despite her self-claimed fearlessness, was in truth vulnerable and emotional – but only when it came to Rin.

Miku also knew that Len Kagamine was extremely sensitive – more so than anyone else, perhaps – but he hid it extremely well and rarely showed any emotion in response to her attacks. In fact, he probably concealed his pain even better than Miku did herself. Of course, Miku didn't enjoy hurting people if she couldn't take pleasure in their wounded reactions, so Len often proved to be a disappointment. However, she and Luka still attacked him often, hoping to find his weak spot someday.

No...Miku couldn't let Kaito get away that easily. He was so easy to hurt right now – the perfect outlet for her bitter, pent-up feelings from home.

Why," Miku called out after the blue-haired boy, "when I first saw you, I was confused about whether this place was a school or a mental hospital! Even the zoo would be a better place for you!"

Kaito stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she continued. "Am I speaking too fast for you? Should I use sign language? That's what they do with gorillas, you know."

Kaito swiveled around to glare at her, small tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

Miku giggled. This boy was so simple, so easily hurt – she loved it. "Oh, is the _cute wittle baby cwying now? Why don't you just wun home to your mommy_ -"

Suddenly, Miku stopped. Unwittingly, she had just reminded herself of her own mother, and her own pain – which was why Miku had to vent herself out in the first place. All she wanted was to forget her own troubles, not bring them up again!

Kaito's chest rattled with great, heaving breaths. He stumbled backwards from Miku and crashed into a large trash can. Boy and trash tumbled to the ground, and rotten smelling garbage spilled everywhere.

Miku smiled coldly. No matter how hurt she was, she comforted herself in the knowledge that the boy sprawled on the ground felt even worse. "Looks like you proved me wrong. You're not from the zoo; you're from the dumpster!"

Kaito leaped up, all the usual cheerfulness gone from his reddened face. "H-how could you, Miku? I…I was so wrong about you!"

Miku merely laughed. "Who isn't?"

As the heartbroken boy stormed away, ripping his poem to shreds, Luka appeared at Miku's side and crossed her arms. "Shame…he was kind of cute."

Miku shrugged. "Not my type."

Luka looked at Miku strangely. There was something about her expression, something lurking behind her sweet, innocent smile, that was slightly sinister – more so than usual. It was the look of a snake right before striking. It was a look constantly directed at other victims, but never before at Miku herself.

But Miku disregarded it as one of Luka's odd moods. Often, the pink-haired girl would fly into a temper at a petty little thing, or suddenly become sullen and unresponsive for no good reason. Whenever that happened, Miku simply ignored her friend until Luka pulled herself back together. There was no possible way Luka could ever do anything to her, even if she tried – even if she dared.

After all, who could possibly hurt Miku Hatsune, the ice queen?

* * *

 ** _Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore_ \- woah woah woah what am I doing? I don't even like Frozen! XD**

 **Anyway, this is a heads up: school is starting soon, which means that I won't have as much time to write. Instead of weekly updates, I'll probably decrease them to every 2-4 weeks (for now), depending on my schedule. I'd rather update at a slightly slower but constant rate, rather than spew out crappy chapters. Sorry...um, thanks for understanding? *puppy dog eyes***

 ***whispers* Reviews are like cookies to me. If Raebelle has more cookies, she'll have more energy to update faster...**

 **Shoutouts:**

 _ **actually shoutout lol**_

 **AmourArrow: AWWWW YOU LIKE MY STORY! YOU ARE AN ADORABLE PRECIOUS GOOD CHILD! \\(^-^)/**

 ***Just FYI, that poem that Kaito wrote is something I randomly made up on the spot. I basically just came up with the cheesiest poem I could imagine and then went back and misspelled some of the words XD XD**

 **Please review, my precioussssssssss. Stay tuned for Chapter 4! THANK YOU! *disappears into dungeon full of snow, ice, and overrated Disney stuff***


	5. Touché

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: _Touché_**

Kaito stared at the remaining shreds of paper in his hand – torn to pieces, just like his heart.

How could she? How could Miku be so cruel? He had confessed his sincere feelings to her, showed his heart to her, and she had deliberately broken it and laughed in his face! If she had only rejected him, said she didn't return his love, he would've understood – still felt upset, of course, but he would respect her words. But she had gone out of her way to hurt him!

Not only did Miku purposefully choose the harshest, most venomous words to shoot at him with – she had continued bullying him even after he gave up on her! Miku knew his weak spots; she could tell just by looking at Kaito that he was constantly belittled by everyone else – even his own family and friends. She had used that against Kaito, hurting him for the pure sake of it. How could anyone be so cruel? How could anyone have such a cold heart?

They were right. Kaito was stupid for not believing them. Miku Hatsune was an ice queen.

Again, Kaito looked at the pieces of paper. They were crumpled and wet from his tears. Each fragment was so tiny that Kaito couldn't tear it any smaller, and his fingers trembled in unvented anger. Merely ripping up the wasted love poem didn't satisfy him; he wanted to destroy something else – something bigger. He yearned to hurt, just as he had been hurt.

 _May the ice queen fall…_

A chilling laugh sounded behind him. Kaito whirled around, gasped, and-

* * *

"He sat next to me!" Rin said to Gumi before class the next day. She gazed dreamily at the blond boy seated in front of her. "He actually sat next to me! He sat next to _me_! He sat _next_ to me! _He_ sat next to-"

Gumi playfully flicked Rin in the forehead. "Okay, that's enough."

"But he actually sat-"

"I know, silly," Gumi rolled her eyes. "I was there, remember?"

Rin squealed in delight. Len Kagamine sat next to her yesterday at break! Of course, it was only for a short amount of time, but he had nevertheless chosen to sit beside her, when he could've chosen anywhere else. That was different from when Len had helped Rin gather her things that morning – that was just him being the perfect gentleman that he was. Sitting next to her was a different story.

What if Len actually liked her back? Did she dare to dream that he was beginning to return her affections? Did Rin still stand a chance with him?

"He won't like you if you don't chill," said Gumi, accurately reading her mind.

Rin sighed, a small smile and a light blush settling upon her cheeks. That afternoon, Len had waved and smiled at her. And then he had even said hi to her in the hallways between classes. Of course, he had always been polite and sweet to her – he was nice to everyone, really – but lately, he seemed to be even friendlier than usual! Len had even seemed pleased when the two of them had been paired together for an in-class history project, and had seemed impressed with her even when she forgot some important dates and history terms. She could die happy!

Gumi rested her face on her palm and eyed the dreadfully slow clock on the far side of the room. "This is going to take a while…"

Suddenly, Rin felt someone tap her shoulder. Piko Utatane was resting his elbows on the back of her chair, wearing an anxious expression. "Hey, have you seen Kaito?"

Rin glanced at Kaito's empty seat. "N-no, I don't think so…"

Gumi turned around. "That goofball? He's probably either sick or ditching."

Piko shook his head, brow furrowing. "No, this is serious. I haven't seen or heard from him since last night. He won't answer a single one of my texts or calls."

Rin frowned. Although she was shy, Kaito was nice to her; they got along reasonably well and were on good terms. The same could be said for Piko. "Did something happen to him?"

Piko hesitated, and then sighed. He knew that both Rin and Gumi were genuinely good people who could be trusted – even if Gumi was a little scary at times. "Yesterday, Kaito tried to…ask this girl out. It probably has something to do with that."

"Who?" Gumi asked.

Piko leaned in and whispered: "Miku Hatsune."

Rin's eyes widened. Her heart clenched in pity for the blue-haired boy. "He asked _her_ out?"

"I know, right?" Piko scoffed. "Nobody even _likes_ her."

"No, that's not what I meant," said Rin. Miku was a heartless girl who loved to tear people apart just for the fun of it. _She_ should know; after all, Rin was one of the people most often targeted by Miku and Luka.

The bell rang, but the three of them paid no heed to it.

"Don't you know what Miku is like?" Rin continued in a hushed voice. She loathed saying negative things about other people, but her sympathy for Kaito was too great to bear now. "I can't even imagine what she must've said to him, poor thing."

"So you think that's why he's not here, then," Piko said. "He's hiding in his room crying and sulking?"

"I don't know," Rin said. "That doesn't really sound like Kaito."

Gumi gave a weak, half-hearted chuckle – a wildly transparent attempt to comfort the other two. "Loosen up, you guys. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Piko ran his fingers through his silver hair. "I sure hope so. He can be really-"

The teacher slammed his hand down on the desk and groaned. "Oh, not you chatterboxes again."

Quickly, Piko sat back in his own seat and grinned, trying for a would-be cheerful expression. "Don't worry, Mr. Al. Chatterbox four isn't here. We'll be quiet as mice today."

"You'd better be, young man!"

True to Piko's word, he didn't make any noise; neither did Rin or Gumi, though they constantly exchanged worried glances at one another. However, nobody got to find out whether the three of them could actually keep silent for the whole class. Halfway into the period, there was a loud thud, and what sounded like vicious snarling came from outside the school building. The classroom shook violently. Everyone sprinted to the windows, looked out, and screamed.

Outside was a screeching, five-story tall monster made of what appeared to be inky shadows. It was pummeling the outside wall of the school with one fist; in the other, it gripped a limp, unmoving figure.

Rin's eyes widened. "Kaito!" She tried to sneak away from the crowd by the window, planning to slip outside and transform, but Gumi grabbed her wrist.

"What do you think you're doing, Rin?" she hissed. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"Um…"

Rin covered her face with her hands and peeked out at the monster between her fingers. It would take some time for her to slip away. In the meantime, she hoped Knight would arrive soon.

"No," Piko gasped behind her. "Kaito! We have to help him!"

Just as Rin had done, Piko tried to go outside, but Mr. Al blocked his path. "You're staying in here, young man, where it's safe. Not a single one of us is going outside, you hear?"

For a moment, Piko struggled. Then he slumped in defeat. He didn't notice that the door behind him, slightly ajar, was swinging back and forth – that someone had just snuck outside.

Someone gasped. "It's Knight!" Sure enough, the famous black-clad figure was slashing at the monster with his rapier sword. The monster roared in pain and turned its attention from the school building to Knight, but it did not release its grip on Kaito.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Rin slipped away. In mere seconds she had transformed into Butterfly and ran outside.

"Hey, princess!" Knight called to her in between the attacks, panting. "Mind lending me a hand?"

Before Butterfly could answer, however, the Despair snarled and raised Kaito above its gaping mouth, preparing to swallow him whole.

Butterfly shot a bolt of light at the Despair's foot, causing it to stumble and drop the boy – straight into her outstretched arms. She quickly checked his pulse: Kaito was still alive, fortunately. However, he was bruised and scratched, and still very much unconscious. He showed no signs of awakening any time soon.

"What happens if it eats him?" Butterfly asked her partner.

Checking his sword for damage, Knight replied: "The Despair will take on the host's identity."

"And what does that mean?"

Knight crouched down, preparing to launch himself at the monster again. "It'll mean we're screwed."

Butterfly gently placed Kaito down on the ground. As one, she and Knight attacked the Despair, who roared so loudly that all the school's windows rattled, and all the onlookers flinched and clapped their hands over their ears.

"What does the Despair do to the host, exactly?" Butterfly shouted over the noise.

"I'll tell you later!" Knight yelled back.

He slashed at the monster with all his might, and to his delight, it nearly fell down. Taking the opportunity, Butterfly leapt up and landed gracefully on the monster's shoulder, blasting its head with magic. However, the Despair merely growled and attempted to shake her off – it nearly succeeded, too, but at the last minute she managed to clamber back on.

"Get its heart, Butterfly!" Knight called to her, stabbing the Despair in the shin. Growling in pain, it swiped madly for Knight. He jumped out of the way. "Hurry!"

Butterfly held onto the monster for dear life, mind racing. Knowing she had to use at least one of her hands to shoot magic, she realized that as soon as she removed her hand, the Despair would shake her off and possibly incapacitate her. So she had only once chance to strike.

Gritting her teeth, Butterfly scanned over the Despair. Suddenly, she spotted a dimly glowing light in its left side – the heart. Sucking in a quick breath, she took off her right hand and shot a piercing dart at it.

A satisfyingly loud roar told her she had hit her target.

Like she had predicted, the Despair shook her off its shoulder before it collapsed to the ground, dissolving. Butterfly hurtled through the air, desperately fluttering her wing – but she was going too fast. She was going to fall and die from the impact…the ground grew closer and closer – she clamped her hands over her eyes-

"Urgh!"

Butterfly peeked through her fingers. Knight was carrying her, bridal style, wearing a smug look on his face.

"How about a little kiss to celebrate our victory, princess?"

Butterfly flushed. "Knight, there are people watching!" Sure enough, her classmates' awestruck faces were pressed against the windows. Between the faces were flashing cell phones, eagerly filming the fight.

Knight smirked. "Exactly."

Rolling her eyes, Butterfly wriggled out of Knight's arms and ran to check Kaito, who was stirring. Just as she was about to turn to Knight, however, Kaito gasped and sat up.

"W-what? What happened? There was a h-huge monster and-"

Smiling, Butterfly gently hushed him. "It's okay now, Kaito. You're-"

Kaito jumped, startled. "H-how do you know my name?"

Butterfly gulped. "Um…your, um, your friend told me?"

"Okay…" Kaito said – Butterfly wasn't reassured by the strange look he sent her. "But where's the monster?"

"Don't worry about it," Knight said, sheathing his sword. "It's dead and gone, thanks to me and princess here."

"Kaito!" Someone's voice called. They looked and saw students pouring out of the buildings, as well as police officers and news reporters. Piko was the first to reach Kaito, and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"I _told_ you!" Piko said. "I told you that Miku girl was no good!"

"Knight, Butterfly," one of the many reporters shoved microphones up the two heroes' noses. Knight groaned. "Would you like to give a firsthand account of how you defeated the monster?"

"Would you please provide an exclusive interview for Vocaloid Channel Weekly-"

"Butterfly! Tell us how you came to be here and work with Knight-"

"Can I have your autograph-"

Speechless, Butterfly stared wildly around at the crowd surrounding her, half blinded by the frenzied paparazzi. She had never been the center of so much attention before – she didn't know what to say or do. Thankfully, she felt Knight grab her wrist and pull her away, saying: "Sorry, everyone! Princess and I have a little talking to do!" And then, they were gone – away from the hordes and alone in an empty street.

Butterfly sighed in relief. "That was scary."

"What, the Despair?"

"No, I mean the crowds of people!"

Knight laughed. He was starting to like this girl more and more, whoever she was. "You're probably pretty shy in real life, aren't you?"

Butterfly chuckled nervously, thinking of how she always stammered and fidgeted around other people, especially her crush. "Shy? Who, me? Pfft, no way!"

In fact, besides Gumi, Knight was probably the only other person she felt completely comfortable talking to – even if he was a bit annoying.

"So…" Butterfly cleared her throat. "What were you going to tell me about the Despairs?"

Knight's smile faded into a grim expression – it was perhaps the first time Butterfly had actually seen him serious. "Well…they're born when someone's heart is broken, I guess."

"And what do they do?"

"They try to eat their host," Knight said. "As in, the people whose grief they're born of. In most cases when the Despair eats its host, it'll take on the host's identity. It'll look and act exactly like a normal person, but it'll cause a lot more harm to other people, and create a whole bunch of other Despairs. Of course, it's still possible to stop a Despair after its eaten its host, but it's _way_ harder."

Butterfly frowned. "But…my Despair ate me, didn't it?"

Knight nodded. Surprisingly, a smile was creeping back onto his face. "That's where we come in – Masks, I mean. You see, a Mask is when a person possesses a heart that's strong enough to face off their own Despair. Like, if the Despair eats that person, it can't take on their identity because their heart has too much light and stuff. Then, the Key-bearer comes and unlocks the Mask's heart to give them powers, and you know the rest."

There was a pause. Butterfly tried to say something, but Knight continued speaking, as if he suddenly had urgent news.

"Just so you know, princess," he told her. "Despairs can be recurring. Masks are no exception."

"What?"

Knight sighed. "What I mean is, a Mask can still be eaten by his or her Despair. And if a Mask is taken over…let's just say that it's a thousand times worse than a normal Despair."

"Have you ever…seen that happen to anyone?"

Knight shook his head. "You're actually the only other Mask I know. Of course, I've sensed others, but I've never met them face to face."

Butterfly bit her lip. Again, she wondered why she had been chosen to become a Mask. Both Knight and the Key-bearer had said it was because of her heart, but that made absolutely no sense. Rin Akita didn't have anything special! She wasn't particularly brave, strong or kind – she was just an ordinary girl! What did she have that made her so special? What did she have that made her Butterfly?

Knight looked at Butterfly out of the corner of his eye. The furrowed brow, the pensive down-turned lips, the mesmerizing blue eyes…somehow, it was all very familiar to him. Where had he seen that before?

"Knight?"

"Yes, my lady?"

Butterfly hesitated, and then let her words tumble out. "Did...did you have a Despair, too?"

Knight tensed. "…Yes."

"So…how did you become a Mask?" Butterfly asked.

Knight bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to tell her – tell anyone, really – about his own grievances, his troubles, and his long lost dreams. He wished he could pour out his whole story to someone, and have a shoulder to cry on for once. He wanted her to see him as an actual person – not as the superhero Knight or the perfect Len Kagamine.

But he didn't want Butterfly to know how weak he was. She herself was so strong, so bold…if she knew what he was really like underneath that mask, she would surely be disgusted. She would surely leave him and never come back. She would never love him.

Knight smirked and flicked Butterfly lightly on the forehead. "That's for me to know and you to find out, princess."

Butterfly crossed her arms and grinned, despite herself. "Touché."

Knight grabbed her small, gloved hand and lightly brushed his lips across it, before letting go and turning away. "I hope we'll see each other again soon. We make a great team."

"See you," Butterfly called after him. Yes, Knight could be cocky or irritating at times – but she had to admit that he was a good person. Knight was a strong fighter and a trustworthy partner. He was brave, kind, and clever. Sometimes, he could even be a little bit charming-

No, no, no. What was she thinking? She liked Len! She was in love with Len Kagamine and no one else – definitely not Knight!

He _was_ a good partner, though.

* * *

 **AmourArrow: Aww, thanks for your understanding :) I can't wait for the big reveal, either!**

 **Kagamine Rin 517: Yep, spot on :D**

 **A mysterious dreamer: Thanks! This fic's premise is inspired by ML, but the main plot is is actually pretty different. :)**

 **DancingWithDeath: Thanks, glad you liked it! :)**

 **Please review, my friends. Stay tuned for Chapter 6! Thank you! (Nuuuu...school is starting soon...*rip* TT_TT)**


	6. Scissors

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle does not own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: _Scissors_**

Luka hated Miku Hatsune.

To the ice queen, Luka was nothing but a sidekick. Miku was always cleverer, wittier, and wiser. She was far more beautiful than Luka could ever be, what with her flowing teal hair and her chiming laughter. Miku had everything, and Luka only had the things Miku discarded as worthless trash.

Of course, Luka and Miku had known each other for years. In the past, Luka had idolized Miku, seeing her as a role model and even a hero. But as year after year passed by, that admiration turned to resentment – and then to pure loathing. Now, Luka wished for nothing more than to cut the ice queen.

"Not my type," Miku had said, shrugging carelessly. The boy she had just turned down, Kaito Shion, was one of the only few that had still acted friendly with the two of them. He believed that Luka was a good person, despite all that she had done and said. He never eyed her with fear or disgust, never whispered behind her back. Luka admired Kaito for his pureness; she might have even loved him, if she wasn't Luka Megurine, the ice queen's sidekick.

Miku was aware of it, too. They had never tormented Kaito; somehow, the two girls had an unspoken agreement that Kaito was too naïve, too innocent to hurt.

And then, Miku had broken that promise.

Luka wished she could be kind and lovable; she wished she could be a good person. She regretted what she said to others every passing minute. But habits are hard to change, and by the time Luka had realized her mistakes, it was already too late. Every time she walked down the school corridors, other students hushed and turned away. No one dared approach her at break, fearful of her wrath. It was too late for Luka to change, so she was forever stuck as a "bad guy."

It was all Miku's fault.

Luka grinned at the teal-haired girl in front of her and bid a cheerful goodbye. Her smile couldn't be any sweeter, and her heart couldn't be any bitterer.

 _Someday…_

"How would you like to have her head at your feet?"

Luka whirled around and saw her own shadow staring up at her, wearing an identical saccharine smile. Slowly, it detached itself from the ground and offered its shadowy hand to her.

"Who…" Luka swallowed. "What are you?"

The shadow chuckled – a chilling, grating laugh. "I am your Despair, Luka Megurine. If you truly seek what your heart desires, then join me. Together, we will be unstoppable."

Luka narrowed her eyes. The shadow – the Despair, as it had called itself – was obviously a monster – a demon, perhaps, wanting to take her soul and consume her. She should run away and call for help. She should pay no heed to what the monster told her. It only wanted to consume her.

But what did it matter? Wasn't Luka already a monster? What difference would it make, other than gaining new powers, if she allied with a fellow monster? She could finally get what she wanted.

Calmly, Luka reached out to the Despair and grasped its inky hand. She closed her eyes.

 _Despair Enbizaka, wielder of twin blades…_

 _Arise._

* * *

Len yawned and squinted at his homework, head spinning. The ceiling lights in his bedroom were so dim that he was forced to use his cell phone's flashlight. A nagging voice in his head urged him to simply move from his bed to his desk, but Len stubbornly ignored it. This small act of defiance, no matter how petty it was, was the closest he could come to disobeying his father. It was probably the closest he would ever come.

It was nearing midnight. Tomorrow was the weekend, but Len had to finish all of his homework now, because he would be too occupied with his extracurricular activities to do it later. If Len achieved perfect grades and was anything less than stellar in his fencing, violin, piano, math, and swimming, his father would slap him; if it was the other way around, Len would surely be whipped to death.

Finally, Len finished the last question. He grabbed all his papers, stuffed them into his backpack, and flung it over his shoulder – it hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud. Fully dressed, Len plopped down on top of his bed and dozed off. He was too exhausted to change or even crawl underneath the covers.

And then came the nightmares. He dreamt of his dead mother, whispering words of encouragement to him that were too soft to hear. Every time he tried to embrace her, she became more and more transparent, until she disappeared entirely and Len found himself standing in front of a casket, holding a black umbrella. Every night, he would hurl the umbrella at the ground and whirl around, only to find himself staring up at the cold, merciless face of his father. Father would raise his hand, Len would instinctively flinch, and-

 _Butterfly_.

Ever since Len had met her, Butterfly would come to the rescue in his dreams. As soon as his father's hand made contact with Len's face, a small, purple butterfly would fly through the man's chest, dissolving him to smoke. It would land on Len's right shoulder, fluttering its wings gently. Len would try to touch it, hold it in his hands – but the elusive, mysterious butterfly would fly away. He didn't know whether it was fleeing from him or leading him somewhere, but he sincerely hoped it was the latter. He desperately wanted a way out of his nightmares, and wished that the purple butterfly was the key to his solutions. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was always out of reach – just beyond his grasping fingertips-

 _Crash._

Len's eyes snapped open. He leapt to the window, flung open the curtains, and gasped in horror at what he saw.

It was a familiar pink-haired girl, wearing a deep red kimono, a green sash, and yellow flowers in her hair. Despite the darkness of the night, she shone brightly, the colors on her figure lighting up the whole street. In her hand was a gleaming pair of scissors. She was swinging them through the air – back and forth, back and forth – as she walked down the street. Dark shadows trailed behind her.

Len's eyes narrowed. Even from his room, he sensed an aura of malice emitting from the girl. It was the exact opposite of a Mask's presence, but it wasn't the same as a Despair, either. This woman's darkness was much, much stronger than a normal Despair.

Seeming to sense Len's own presence, the woman paused and looked up. Before Len could hide, she gave him a sickly, sweet smile and resumed her trek. Then, she disappeared around a corner.

The window clicked open. Knight scaled down the front wall of his house and over the gates with ease. He squinted through the darkness and spotted the Despair. Quietly, he snuck up on her, raising his rapier. Just as he was about to strike, however, the girl turned around. Metal clashed on metal, and Knight was thrown back, grunting in pain.

"Poor little knight," she laughed. "Guess your armor is weaker than you thought, huh?"

"Who are you?" Knight already had a good idea of her host's identity, but he was trying to stall for time.

The Despair smiled sweetly. "My name is Despair Enbizaka."

"Enbizaka, huh?" Knight said. "Rhymes with Luka."

Suddenly, Enbizaka screamed with rage and charged at him. Before he could react, she already had him pressed to the ground with her foot, all the while maintaining a bright smile on her face. Then, she bent down and pressed the scissors against his throat.

"How about I cut that pretty little mask off and see who's underneath, boy?"

Knight gulped. Before Enbizaka could brutally murder him, though, a bolt of light struck her on the face. Shrieking incoherently, she released him.

Knight grinned. "Nice one, princess!"

Butterfly leapt down from a nearby rooftop and landed lightly in front of him. She eyed the woman in front of them. "So… _this_ is what it means when a Despair eats its host?"

"Yep," said Knight. "We're screwed."

Enbizaka snarled, brandishing her scissors at them. "I WILL CUT YOU!"

"Hold on to me," Butterfly said.

"What?"

"Hold on!" she repeated.

Knight wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Immediately, Butterfly leapt back onto the rooftop she came from, lifting him as well. Then, she released him – to Knight's disappointment – and sprinted away, bounding across different rooftops. Knight followed, utterly confused.

"Where are we going? Aren't we supposed to be fighting crazy scissor lady?"

"We need a plan," Butterfly yelled.

"Which is?"

Butterfly came to a halt, and Knight nearly crashed into her. Steadying him with a hand on his shoulder, Butterfly's eyes darted around their surroundings. "You said that Despairs are when people's hearts are broken. So that must mean Enbizaka is out for somebody…"

Knight hesitated, and then decided to speak. "I know her from school. She's a girl called Luka and she hates everybody."

Butterfly frowned. "You go to my school?"

"I do?"

She shook her head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. The thing is, it's not _us_ she's out for. She's probably going to go for someone else."

"So all we have to do is go there and wait."

Butterfly nodded. As much as she hated it, this was their only hope. In the state she was now, Enbizaka was unstoppable. Butterfly and Knight had to catch her unawares, taking revenge on the person she hated most.

"So…" Knight scratched his head. "Whose house do we go to?"

Butterfly frowned. Luka tormented pretty much everyone at school. Butterfly herself was one of the most often targeted, but Enbizaka obviously hadn't gone after her. Piko and Tei were also frequently harassed, but not to the same extent that Butterfly was. The rest of their classmates, including Gumi, had also been bullied by Luka and Miku at one point or another, but not as excessively as the first three. It was highly unlikely that they would be attacked by Enbizaka.

So who could the target be? Who else, besides Butterfly, was constantly tormented? Who else did Butterfly know that Luka and Miku especially liked to pick on? Who-

"Len!"

Knight yelped and almost fell off the roof. "W-what?"

"She's got Len! Enbizaka's heading for Len! Oh my god, we have to go save him-"

"Oh," Knight said. Then, to Butterfly's surprise, he laughed. "Don't worry about that guy. He's fine."

"How do you know?"

"He, um…" Knight trailed off uncertainly.

Panic rose in Butterfly's chest. The love of her life was in danger! Len was going to be hurt! He was going to be killed! This was all her fault – if only she had figured it out sooner-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Knight grabbed her elbow, stopping Butterfly from taking off. She glared at him.

"Don't you understand? This is serious! Enbizaka is going to kill Len!"

"No, she's not!" Knight said. "Look, I just saw Len, okay? I first saw Enbizaka on his street, and she passed right by his house."

"Oh," Butterfly said. She heaved a sigh of relief. And then she tensed again. "Wait, how do you know where he lives?"

The only reason she, Rin Akita, knew Len's address was because she had followed him home once to deliver a love letter to his mailbox. (Of course, she had chickened out at the last second and never delivered it, but that didn't matter right now.)

Knight gulped. He opened his mouth and closed it, and then opened it again. "Len...is my, uh, friend. Yeah, he's my friend! I, uh…I saved him once, from a Despair.

Butterfly raised her eyebrows. _So that's why Len is a fan of Knight, huh?_

"Are you sure Len's safe?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, Len's safe. He's totally safe and sound. Don't worry, he's completely fine."

Butterfly frowned. "Then who could Enbizaka be after?"

"No clue," Knight said, relieved that he wasn't on the spot anymore. "For now, let's just follow her from afar."

* * *

"Miku!" Enbizaka softly knocked on the small, rundown house's door, giggling softly. "Miku, I know you're in there somewhere!"

"Miku?" Simultaneously, Knight and Butterfly gasped, and then shushed each other.

Sure enough, the crooked, wooden plaque by the door said: _Hatsune's residence._

Twirling her scissors, Enbizaka picked the lock open and pushed open the door. She stepped inside.

"Quick," Butterfly whispered. "You hold her off and I'll get Miku!"

"Got it!"

Together, they ran up to the house's open door and saw Enbizaka inside.

"Hey!" Knight shouted, unsheathing his sword. "Creepy scissors woman, you're going down!"

Enbizaka whirled around to face them. "Well, well! Look what we have here!"

"Guess what, lady? Your outfit sucks!" Knight said, inwardly cringing at his own cheesiness. He gesticulated wildly, trying to draw Enbizaka's attention away from Butterfly and onto himself.

It worked.

Butterfly peered into the house and spotted a staircase. As Knight and Enbizaka charged at each other, she slipped inside. Upstairs was a plain, wooden-floored hallway, at the end of which was a door with heart-shaped stickers plastered all over it. Rin entered and found herself in a cold, dingy bedroom. The girl she was looking for was sleeping on a twin-sized bed in the center of the room, her thin blanket barely reaching her toes.

"Miku," Butterfly said. She felt rather disoriented – it was strange seeing such a peaceful, innocent expression on the ice queen's face.

The girl didn't respond.

"Miku," Butterfly hissed, shaking her shoulder. "Wake up."

Finally, Miku stirred. Groggily, she squinted up at Butterfly – and then her eyes widened in shock.

"B-butterfly? What are you doing here?"

Butterfly grabbed Miku's elbow and pulled her up. "This house is under attack. Quick, we have to get you to safety."

Miku, however, wrenched her arm out of Butterfly's grasp and shook her head. It was dark, but Butterfly could tell Miku was scared – an expression she had never seen the other girl wear before. From outside came the sound of clashing metal, Knight's defiant yells, and Enbizaka's bloodcurdling shrieking.

"What are you doing?" Butterfly said. "A monster is attacking your house as we speak! Knight is risking his life to protect you!"

Miku glared at her. "I'm not leaving without my sister!"

Suddenly, Butterfly noticed a smaller figure sleeping beside Miku – a younger girl with long, bushy hair and a stuffed rabbit in her arms.

"Then take her as well," Butterfly ordered. "You're the target, and we have to get you to safety so we can distract it."

"What-?"

But Butterfly had already shaken awake the younger girl, who gasped and cried for Miku. As soon as she realized what was happening, she instantly became docile and compliant – her tight grip on the doll the only indication of her fear. Not wasting a single moment, Butterfly grabbed both of the sisters' shoulders and steered them out of the house.

Butterfly gasped. "Knight!"

As she watched, Enbizaka's scissors missed the boy's throat by a mere inch.

"Don't worry about me!" Knight gasped, stumbling. "Just take Hatsune somewhere safe!"

Butterfly tugged at the two girls' arms. The younger one immediately yielded, eager to flee from the monster's wrath, but Miku halted in her tracks.

"L-Luka?"

"Hurry up!" said Butterfly.

"But…but why would Luka attack me?" Miku said. "She's my friend."

"It doesn't matter," Butterfly urged. "Just get away from here."

"No!" Miku protested. Her face looked deathly pale under the moonlight. "You take Mayu, and I'll go talk to her! There has to be a way-"

"There isn't!"

"There is! There has to be!"

Butterfly gritted her teeth. "You just stay out of the way-"

"No," Miku said. "I can't leave without trying to do anything!"

"Oh, yes you can!" Heat rose to Butterfly's face. She was on the verge of slapping the teal-haired girl.

"It's _me_ she's after!" Miku cried.

"You don't understand how much danger we're in," Butterfly snapped.

"Yes, I do! That's why I have to-"

In the corner of her eye, Butterfly saw Knight fall to the ground, sword clattering out of his hand. She watched, frozen in horror, as Enbizaka turned around, spotted Miku, and slowly walked towards her.

"Miku!" gasped Mayu.

Enbizaka raised her scissors.

It happened in a flash. Suddenly, Miku found herself sprawled on the ground, choking from the dust on the ground. She felt the back of her neck – there was a light gash on it; and her long teal hair had been chopped off to chin length. Butterfly lied motionless beside her.

Miku's eyes widened.

"Miku!" Enbizaka cackled. She carelessly kicked Butterfly out of the way and turned back to the teal-haired girl. "I'll kill you!"

"Luka!" Miku cried, throwing out a trembling arm in front of her sister. "Stop! What are you thinking? You're not yourself!"

But despite her words, Miku remembered the sinister smile on Luka's face the other day. She remembered each and every one of Luka's emotional fits, and how she had neglected to confront them. She remembered Luka's sweetness, and the evident bitterness underneath. She remembered how she had always treated Luka, and for the first time, Miku truly regretted it.

It was her fault. She didn't care that she had hurt other people, but she was stricken that Mayu would have to pay for her mistakes.

Suddenly, Knight appeared behind Enbizaka and stabbed her. The woman shrieked, but she didn't fall; in fact, her wound healed as soon as he pulled the sword out of her back. But in the brief moment that Enbizaka let her guard down, Knight managed to grab her wrist and wrest the scissors from her hand.

"NO!" Enbizaka screamed.

In one swift motion, Knight hurled the scissors to the ground, shattering the blades. He touched the fragments with the tip of his rapier, and the blade started to glow.

"Despair Enbizaka," he said, pointing his sword at her. Enbizaka flinched at the light. "Release your host at once!"

Enbizaka struggled, but the light was too much for her. Her figure writhed and shimmered, and then dissolved to the shadows. In the monster's place lied an unconscious girl – Luka.

Knight ran to his fallen partner. "Butterfly! Butterfly, wake up! Can you hear me?"

Miku grasped her sister's hand, afraid to let go. She was glad that Mayu was unharmed; and although Miku herself had been cut on the back of her neck, it was merely a small cut. But Miku was shocked at what had happened: the attacker was Luka, her own friend, and Vocaloid City's heroes had almost died protecting her.

"Knight…" Miku said. "Is she…is she going to be okay?" There was something oddly familiar about him and she didn't like it.

There was only silence. And then, Knight said softly: "Look at what you've done."

"W-what?"

The masked boy glared at Miku, fierce golden eyes tearing her apart. "Didn't Butterfly _tell_ you to get away? _Didn't she?_ "

Miku withered under his cold stare. "I…"

"What? What else do you want? Butterfly is hurt because of you!"

"Please…please, I just-"

"Are you happy now?" Knight snapped. "Or do you want someone else to be hurt?"

Miku clutched at her chest, heaving for air. Dimly, she felt Mayu squeezing her hand. "Sis, let's go back home. Please…"

Miku nodded. She passed by Luka without a second glance. As she walked past the boy kneeling over Butterfly, she lightly brushed his shoulder and muttered: "Sorry. Sorry for everything." But she was sure that it made no difference.

Knight clenched his teeth. Already, he regretted every single word he had said. He had no right to yell at Miku like that, just because he didn't like her. Who was he to act on a personal grudge? Who was he to lash out at a victim, after what she had gone through? Who was he to vent out his own emotions on someone else?

Some hero he was…

Butterfly's eyelashes fluttered. "Len…" she whispered.

Knight's breath caught. He leaned closer to her and held her hand. "How do you feel?"

Butterfly's eyes came in focus and she slowly sat up, groaning. "K-Knight? What happened? Where's Enbizaka?"

Knight sighed in relief. "She's taken care of."

"And Miku and her sister?"

He averted his eyes in guilt. "They…they went back."

"Are they alright?"

Knight stared at the girl in front of him. She was covered in bruises and scratches, clothes torn and dirtied – and she was still worried about other people. "They're fine."

"Oh…" Butterfly said, gingerly standing up. "That's good, then."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I have to go now."

Knight frowned. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Knight," said Butterfly, a pleading tone in her voice. "I can't hold on to my transformation any longer. If I stay, you'll see my face."

"But you're hurt…"

Butterfly smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm alright, I swear. Sorry for making you worry. I'll do better next time." Then she walked away.

Knight stared at Butterfly's retreating figure. She was so kind, selfless, and courageous…and he had lost his temper at a Despair's victim!

 _Like father, like son,_ thought Knight. Self loathing filled his stomach.

* * *

 **ChocoYu: YASS bring it on! :D**

 **SparkyBubbles: It's good that you like the Key-bearer ...he'll have a few more appearances later on. Len is so fun to write in this fic! And Miku is so hard to write! (but I love her all the same, because I'm crazy) :) :)**

 **Umine Mizuko: Thanks! Good eye for catching that. (PS I like your new name + pic)**

 **AmourArrow: AHHHHHH! The temptation! I'm SOOOO tempted to answer all of your questions, but- (mumbles incoherent spoilers)**

 **Please review, my children! Stay tuned for Chapter 7! Thank you!**


	7. Night's Hero

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid, any Vocaloid characters, or any Vocaloid songs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: _Night's Hero_**

"Shh…" Miku whispered. "It's going to be alright."

Mayu shivered in her arms. "Sis…I'm scared."

Miku stroked her sister's hair softly. The two of them were huddled together in their dark, cramped bedroom, listening to their parents' screaming voices from across the hallway. Neither of them dared to move for fear of bringing attention to themselves. A strong stench of alcohol wafted in from underneath the door.

Mom and Dad hated each other, and because of that, they hated their daughters as well. Every day from sunrise to sundown, Mom worked herself to death as a waitress and barista, and came home in a raging temper. Her hands always itched to slap someone – and if her daughters were unlucky enough to cross her path, it was their own misfortune.

Miku let herself be assaulted quite often. If it was for the sake of protecting Mayu, she was more than willing to be hurt. But despite Miku's best efforts, it was impossible to protect her little sister from the insidiousness of Hatsune's residence.

At no earlier than midnight each night, Dad would come strolling in, reeking of beer and women's cheap perfume. Sometimes he would collapse and fall asleep on the filthy floors, and other times he would choose one or both of his daughters to bully to the point of tears. Then, Mom would become so enraged that she would either lock him out all night or shriek profanity at him – given that she didn't join in on terrorizing the girls as well.

Far too often, this resulted in a physical fight, and Miku and Mayu would consider themselves blessed if they managed to stay out of it.

Mayu sniffled. "Sis…"

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Miku took deep, calming breaths. She was eight years older than her sister, so she understood much more about their parents than Mayu did; Miku knew very well that, soon enough, one or both of their parents would leave them.

So it was up to Miku, the older sister, to pretend nothing was wrong. It was up to Miku to pretend that she could protect Mayu forever.

"It's going to be fine," Miku whispered. "It'll get better soon. You'll see."

Whimpering, Mayu turned her tearstained face to Miku. Her eyes, albeit terrified, did not seem a day older or wiser than the girl really was; utter trust and reliance shone within the large orbs.

"Sis…" Mayu said hoarsely. "Sing me a song."

 _Sing a song?_

Miku knew a lot of songs. Back when her parents still loved her, her mother had told Miku that she was gifted with the voice of an angel. Miku couldn't remember the last time she sang, but countless melodies still ran through her head from times long past. A particular lullaby came to mind: it brought Miku distant memories of home, peace, and love. It felt like a dream she had half-forgotten, but yearned to remember.

Miku kissed her little sister on the forehead and began to sing in a soft voice – just loud enough for Mayu to hear, if she held her breath and listened carefully:

 _When the seasons change to a spin_

 _When the ties scatter within_

 _Hold on to them so they won't be lost_

 _Fluttering, fluttering away_

 _Chained by the words I could never forget_

 _I fell into a dream with no regrets_

 _But when I woke up, you were lost_

 _Fluttering, fluttering away_

 _Past the sea and beyond the sky_

 _I prayed to give what could never die_

 _But alas, all our colors and ties were lost_

 _Fluttering, fluttering away_

 _I wish I could give you my heart someday_

 _I try to send the memories your way_

 _But like rain, they fall to the ground and are lost_

 _They're fluttering, fluttering away_

Miku stopped. When she was younger, she didn't know what the words meant, but nevertheless she relished the song's lovely, soothing tune. It never failed to lull her to sleep as a child. But now that her home had fallen apart, Miku couldn't bear to sing it any longer. She didn't even want to think about it anymore.

Mayu's slow, steady breathing reached her ears.

Miku sighed. Her family and home were crumbling to dust, its ashes fluttering away in the wind – and she could do nothing about it. There was nobody to save her – there were no heroes coming to Miku's rescue. She was just a little girl, watching everything fall apart.

She herself was falling apart as well.

* * *

Len was in awe. He and his classmates were on a field trip, spending the whole day at a theme park. His father had never let him go anywhere for fun; but the combined effect of Meiko's incessant nagging and Len's recently acquired exam scores had finally convinced him.

The park echoed with the rumbling sounds of roller coasters, as well as children's rambunctious laughter and gleeful screams. Warm aromas drifted from hot dog and churro stands. The faces of Len's classmates looked happy, but they were nothing compared to Len's expression – he had never seen anything like it. In fact, he emitted such a strong aura of excitement that many of his classmates were slightly taken aback – after all, the serious, mature Len Kagamine rarely acted this childish.

To Rin Akita, though, it was endearing.

Gumi punched Rin on the arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Go talk to him."

"W-what? No!"

"Yes!" Gumi hissed, gesturing wildly at the boy. Their class had been divided into multiple groups, and Gumi's group consisted of: herself, Rin, Len, Kaito, and Teto Kasane. Len and Kaito were walking together, and Gumi and Rin were directly behind them. Already, Teto was starting to creep up on Len – and once the chatterbox started talking to him, nobody would be able to get another word in.

Suddenly, the boys stopped in their tracks.

Rin collided with Len, and would've fallen if he didn't catch her. Dumbstruck, all five of them stared at what lay in front of them on the ground: Miku Hatsune, unconscious and beaten up. Her clothes were torn and filthy, and her body was bloodied and bruised. She looked almost dead.

"Miku!" Kaito said hoarsely.

Teto gasped. "Oh my god! Oh my god, it's Miku Hatsune! She's, like, oh my god! I have to take a picture. This is going viral – I mean, the _ice queen_ all knocked up and-"

"No. Pictures." Gumi growled. The pink-haired girl sheepishly put her cell phone back into her designer purse.

Rin's eyes narrowed. Who else could hurt someone like Miku this badly, besides a Despair? But that didn't make sense: Kaito's Despair had already been defeated, and the boy was currently standing right beside her, in perfectly good health and form. Luka's Despair had also been defeated, and as far as Rin knew, Luka and Miku had already reconciled as friends.

By her side, Len seemed to be pondering the same thing. Before he could speak, though, a deafening roar sounded behind the group, abruptly ending all the usual noises of the park and eliciting screams of horror from other people. The five teenagers' eyes widened as a shadowy monster – indeed a Despair – loomed over them. As they watched, it snatched Miku from the ground and grew in size, brandishing her like a sword.

 _So it's Miku's Despair…_

"Oh. My. _God!_ " Teto squealed, pulling out her phone again. "This is so awesome! I can't wait till Knight and Butterfly come! Maybe we'll even get to see their true faces! Their true _identities!_ _Can you imagine?_ "

Len paled.

A chill ran up Rin's spine, but she ignored it and turned to her classmates. "We have to run!" she shouted. "It's too dangerous here."

"But-" Teto started, but the Despair suddenly looked towards her, leering sinisterly. She gulped and immediately bolted.

Kaito didn't budge. He stared up at the monster. Its giant, inky form – as well as the limp figure clenched in its hand – was reflected in his eyes. "But…Miku…"

The Despair started towards them.

"Come on!" Len sharply prodded him in the back, and he finally moved.

They followed Teto into a nearby building. It was crowded with terrified civilians – some of whom were whispering to each other, and others who were calling out for their loved ones. Among the crowd, Rin spotted several of their classmates. Teto left them to join a large group of prattling girls from their class, and Kaito joined Piko and his other friends. Completely alone, Luka paced back and forth, wildly running her hands through her hair.

Suddenly, Rin froze in horror. "Where's Len?" She had planned to ensure all her friends and classmates were safe, and then sneak away and transform into Butterfly. However, it seemed that she had already failed in the first task.

Gumi frowned. "I'm sure he's somewhere in here…" But her voice faltered. Both of them knew that he had simply disappeared into thin air.

"No!" Rin's voice cracked. "He's gone!"

Why hadn't she kept a closer eye on him? And if she had allowed Len out of her sight, who else had she neglected to check up on? This was her fault…her mistake-

"Rin!" Gumi cried. "Are you crazy-"

But Rin had already slipped out of the building – her furtive exit was noticed only by Gumi and Luka.

Moments later, the Despair turned around to find itself being attacked by a masked figure with a purple wing on her right shoulder. It staggered, but it didn't relinquish its vice-like grip on Miku.

"Len!" Butterfly gasped, scanning her surroundings wildly. "Where are you?"

Her voice echoed ominously across the deserted park. Not a living soul was to be seen.

Not a living soul… _not a living soul…Len! Oh, god-_

Suddenly, a cloaked boy appeared beside her, drawing his sword. "Hey, princess. Nice day, isn't it?"

"Knight!" Despite her panic over Len, seeing the familiar shade of black brought a sense of relief and comfort to Butterfly. As long as her battle partner was with her, nothing was impossible. She trusted him, knew she could count on him. He had her back.

Len was going to be alright.

"Read to kick some monster butt, my lady?"

Butterfly grinned. "You bet!"

* * *

 _Fluttering…_

Mayu, where are you?

 _Fluttering away…_

Luka, are you there?

 _Everything's fluttering away…_

Mom, Dad, don't leave…

 _Flutter, flutter, flutter…_

I'm sorry-

Miku felt the warm, tickling sensation of late afternoon sunlight on her face. As she cracked open her eyes, the familiar masks of Butterfly and Knight peered down at her. Behind them, Miku could see the last remaining shadows of the fading Despair – Knight and Butterfly had evidently just defeated it.

Groaning, Miku tried to sit up, but gasped – her body was so bruised and battered that every little movement gave her a jolt of pain.

Butterfly frowned, hovering anxiously over Miku. "Where does it hurt? Should we stay here until the paramedics come?"

"I'm…" Miku clenched her teeth and forced herself into a sitting position, ignoring her aching joints and churning stomach. "I'm fine. I…I have to….have to go…"

"Home?" Knight said. He stood slightly behind Butterfly, gazing down at Miku with a sober expression. While Butterfly's outfit was covered in dirt from the fight, Knight's cloak remained the same pitch black as always.

"I…" Miku couldn't go on. She didn't know what to say, what to do. She didn't know where home was anymore. She remembered exactly what had happened before the monster came: her parents striking her sister across her face…her sister coughing up blood…Miku standing completely helpless…

Miku remembered that, in the moment Mayu had needed her most, she had walked straight past her. She had ignored Mayu's pleas for help. In a burst of long held resentment and bitterness, Miku had grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and plunged it into her own chest. She had been willing to abandon her sister.

What kind of monster would do such a thing? What kind of monster was allowed to be saved by heroes?

"Shh…" Butterfly reassured her. "Everything's alright now. You're safe."

Miku swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat. "W-why?"

"What?"

"Why did you save me?"

Butterfly's jaw dropped. She turned to Knight for help, but he remained silent and expressionless, so she had no choice but to turn back to Miku. "How could we not, Miku? Your life was in danger!"

"My life?" Miku said hoarsely. "I'm the one who tried to end it!"

There was only silence. Butterfly's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Speechless, she tentatively reached out to Miku, and then withdrew her hand, fearing that she would make things worse. What use was she – Rin Kagamine – in offering comfort to others? She had never had any issues with her family or friends…she was just a naïve girl who didn't know anything about grief…oh! if only she could help…

"Miku," Knight said quietly. "Do you really want to die?"

"Knight!" Butterfly hissed.

Miku ran her aching hands through her short, choppy hair. She wildly shook her head, feeling tears come to her eyes. She had never dreamed of killing herself! Mayu couldn't afford to lose the one remaining person who cared about her! It had completely been a spurn of the moment thing – a rare fit of emotion from Miku Hatsune.

No, she did _not_ want to die!

Miku's silence told Knight everything. He crouched down in front of the crying girl so that they were level with each other. Butterfly remained standing, watching the other two breathlessly.

"Why did we save you?" Knight said. "I think you know the answer."

Amidst her tears, Miku peered into his golden eyes. She had always felt disdainful, indifferent at best, to superheroes. She scoffed at them for beating up large monsters in the city when they left the true demons – her parents – free to run around. Heroes were always too heroic, too perfect, and too _good_. They didn't understand how to truly defeat monsters, nor how monsters were born. They regarded victims with pity, and they were always too naïve to realize that victims and monsters weren't all that different.

But the hero in front of her right now – the hero of shadows – was different. He understood. Miku sensed a faint aura of darkness emitting from him – not quite malice or pure hatred, but just the slightest tint of bitterness. It was barely discernible underneath his mask. But it was there all the same.

Miku sighed and wiped away her tears. She didn't like Knight at all – in fact, she felt that Butterfly was much more admirable than him. But that was the reason why Knight felt so real to her. After all, how could someone as despicable as Miku feel any real connection to a hero of light?

"Thanks, Knight," she finally said. "You don't have to say anything else."

Immediately, understanding passed between them. Knight nodded and offered to help Miku up, carefully draping her arm over his shoulder. Right before Butterfly came to take her other arm, he whispered: "No hard feelings?"

"What do you mean?" Miku said, softly so that Butterfly couldn't hear. "You guys just saved my life."

"You know what I mean," Knight said.

Miku didn't look at him. She knew what he was referring to – after Despair Enbizaka's attack, when he had snapped at her for causing Butterfly to be injured.

He had vented out on her…just like how she had vented out on countless others…

"You're forgiven," said Miku. Knight smiled in response, and neither of them exchanged another word.

The three of them slowly trudged their way to the building where all the civilians were hiding. Miku was so utterly exhausted that her feet dragged across the ground – Knight and Butterfly had to half carry her sometimes.

 _Forgiveness…_ Miku pondered on the more than deserved it, because he was a hero. He had proved himself completely worthy of it, because he was kind and courageous to others. He had saved Miku's life, as well as countless other civilians'. Such a trivial thing as harsh words had next to no dampening effect on his heroic deeds. Yet he was still noble enough to seek forgiveness – from Miku, no less. Knight was indeed a hero of shadows – Miku was positive of it – but he had yet to be overcome by his darkness. He was absolutely forgiven.

What about Miku, though? Was it too late for someone like her – no one's hero but her little sister's – to seek forgiveness as well?

* * *

"What's wrong, princess?" Knight said.

They had just dropped Miku off at the building, greeted by loud cheers and applause from everyone else. However, Butterfly had merely dodged the zealous reporters and photographers, ignoring their disappointment, and scanned the civilian crowd anxiously. After a moment, she turned back to the park.

"Len Kagamine's still missing," said Butterfly.

"L-Len?"

Knight gulped. He had not bothered to check the faces of the crowd, assuming that everyone was safely in the building, but he supposed Butterfly was much more meticulous than he was. It was an admirable trait, of course, but Knight wished that she wasn't quite so watchful and alert – it put him in a rather tight spot.

"He, um…he's probably somewhere….somewhere upstairs…?" Knight stammered, inwardly flinching at the feebleness of his suggestion.

Butterfly frowned. "Look, you can hide somewhere and transform back. I'll go look for him. He's probably outside."

There was a tense silence. Misinterpreting Knight's horrorstruck expression, Butterfly patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and added: "Don't worry, Knight, I'll definitely find him."

 _No,_ Knight thought, _you definitely won't!_

Of course, he could transform back after she left and let her find him, but it was highly unlikely that, in his civilian form, he would be able to make it in time. Also, Knight wasn't sure whether he should pretend to be injured or unconscious as Len – Butterfly would surely interrogate him on his absence, and he was a horrible liar…it seemed that the only option was to persuade Butterfly to let _him_ , Knight,look for Len instead. Then, he could simply turn back into Len, return to the building, and claim that Knight had already left.

Knight sucked in a deep breath. "Actually…why don't _I_ go look for him?"

"What?"

Knight rummaged through his mind for inspiration. Suddenly, he remembered that once, he had told Butterfly that he was friends with Len. "I mean…Len and I know each other, so…"

"So do we!" Butterfly said indignantly. But, to Knight's surprise, she faltered and blushed slightly.

Knight took this as a positive sign. He observed her closely and suddenly saw something relieving.

"Look!" He pointed at her clothes. "You're changing back!"

Butterfly looked down at her outfit and shrieked. Sure enough, her sailor-style dress was slowly fading into a light-colored blouse, and her gloves were becoming more and more transparent by the second.

"I…I….Don't look!" Butterfly gulped. She clamped her trembling hands over her face and turned her back to him.

"Don't worry," Knight said. "Your clothes change back when you're tired, but you'll still have your mask on." Nevertheless, he looked away, not wanting to upset her.

From behind him, Butterfly's shaky voice said: "W-will you find him? Len, I mean?"

"Yes," Knight replied.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Knight heard rapid, fading footsteps. He turned back to look at Butterfly, but she was gone.

Leaning against a wall, he sighed and transformed back into his civilian state. To be honest, he was the slightest bit disappointed; for the tiniest moment, he had hoped to discover Butterfly's true identity. Even if she didn't take off her mask, he could probably recognize her by her civilian clothes…

One thing, though, warmed him to the core. Butterfly cared about him – worried for his safety. Granted, it was _Len_ she cared about, not _Knight_ …but it was still something, nonetheless. Perhaps it didn't _completely_ count as Butterfly returning his feelings for her, but it still meant that she liked him, right?

If only Butterfly trusted him enough to reveal her true face…

Reluctantly, Len trudged back to the building and slipped in amongst the babbling crowd. He caught just a single glimpse of the excited civilians when, suddenly, a yellow blur hurtled toward him and wrapped him into a tight hug.

"Len!" Rin Akita cried breathlessly. "You're alright! Where were you? I've been worried sick-"

Upon meeting his eyes, Rin stopped abruptly. Mortified, she scrambled backwards from him and nearly tripped over her feet; her face, turned downward, flushed crimson.

"S-sorry…I didn't mean to…"

Len opened his mouth and then closed it, painfully aware that everyone from their class was unabashedly staring at the two of them. He was also aware that, for some reason, heat was rising rapidly to his face. He had seen Rin's expression right before she hugged him, and it had reminded him of Butterfly herself.

"A-are…" Rin clamped her hands over her eyes and peeked through her fingers. "Are you alright, though?"

"Yeah," Len said, wondering why he suddenly didn't know what to do with his arms, which were hanging limply at his sides. "I'm…I'm fine, thanks. Sorry for, um… for worrying you."

As Rin and Len exchanged timid smiles, Len vaguely wondered where Butterfly was. Perhaps she was hiding among the crowd right now in civilian form, relieved that Knight had "found" Len and returned him to the building – perhaps she was relieved that he was safe. Perhaps she was as relieved for him as Rin Akita was. Perhaps she even liked him as Len, the same way he liked her as Butterfly.

Perhaps…perhaps, just perhaps, there was the smallest chance that someday he would find out who the girl behind the mask truly was.

* * *

 **Maybe promise will be our always...(did anyone get that reference? XD)**

 **Umine Mizuko: Thanks! :)**

 **AmourArrow: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!**

 **Please review, my little cookies! Stay tuned for Chapter 8! Thank you! *drops to the ground***


	8. Shadows

**DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: _Shadows_**

Rin drummed her fingers against the surface of her lunch table, wondering what she was going to do with herself. Usually, she was content with eating only with Gumi, but today, her best friend was stuck at home with the flu – so Rin was forced to sit alone. Of course, Gumi had wanted to come to school, but Rin had sternly refused, commanding her to stay home and rest properly.

Should Rin try to find somewhere else to sit? To be honest, she didn't have that many friends. Piko and Kaito were nice enough – but if they were sitting with anyone else, she would be too shy to try to approach them. And while none of the other girls in class displayed outright hostility towards her as Miku had done, Rin wasn't exactly friendly with them, either.

Maybe…maybe she could sit next to Len?

On second thought, it was a ridiculous idea.

"Hey," said a voice from behind Rin, jolting her out of her thoughts. When she saw who it was, she choked on her drink.

"Um…"Len said hesitantly, holding a lunch tray. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Rin stammered. "Yes! Yeah, yeah, 'kay. I mean, I'm okay."

With his free hand, Len gestured around the table. Besides Rin, it was completely empty. "So…Gumi isn't here?"

"Yeah. I mean, no, she isn't here. She's, uh, she's sick."

There was an awkward pause, in which Len continued to awkwardly point at the vacant seats around Rin. She gulped. Was he finally noticing how socially awkward and unpopular she was? She already knew she had no chance with him; but now that he saw how much of a loser she was, would he even want to be her friend? Oh, if only she could stop stuttering!

"Can I…can I sit here?" Len asked.

"What?"

Len rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean… _may_ I sit next to you? Please?"

"Yes!" Rin blurted out, and then immediately cringed. "I mean, sure, if you want to…I-I don't mind…"

To her delight, Len took a seat beside her and started to eat. For a moment, they didn't say anything else – it was completely silent save for the incessant pounding of Rin's heart. And then Len broke the silence again.

"So…did you have fun at the field trip? Before the Des-monster came, I mean."

Rin covered her face in her hands, mortified at the memory of her hugging him out of the blue. At the time, she had been so worried about him that she had completely forgotten about being nervous. What must he think of her now? Oh, the embarrassment!

"Rin?"

Rin suddenly realized that Len was still waiting for her answer. "Oh! Y-yeah, it was really fun! I hope we get to go on another one soon…"

She inwardly winced. Did that sound too enthusiastic? Did he think she was just trying to get on his good side? But the theme park _was_ pretty fun, though…

To her relief, Len grinned even more enthusiastically and said: "I'm glad you had a good time. So did I!"

"Y-you did?"

"Yep," said Len, lowering his voice. "In fact, let me tell you a secret. That was the first time I've ever been on a field trip!"

Rin's eyes widened. "Really?"

Len nodded. "My father's never allowed me to go anywhere. He's always been really-" And then, he suddenly stopped. "Like I said…it was my first time out." He carefully watched Rin, who pretended not to notice that he had been about to say something else.

Rin smiled. "Good thing you weren't scared by the monster attack, then."

"What?" Len said, snorting. "Oh, that! That didn't ruin anything at all – it actually made it better! We…we got to see Butterfly and Knight in action, you know."

Rin gulped down the last crumbs of her lunch and turn in her seat to face Len. "Oh, I remember now. You're a fan of Knight's, aren't you?"

To her surprise, a light pink spread across the boy's cheeks. "I suppose so…but to tell the truth, I like Butterfly much better."

Suppressing a smile, Rin tilted her head. "You do?"

"Well, I mean, she's a superhero! Vocaloid City depends on her."

Rin felt a warm, tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Len liked her. Len liked her! Of course, she had to remind herself that Len was thinking of her alter ego, not the _real_ her…but it was still pleasant, all the same. "So…what do you like about her, exactly?"

Len smiled. "Well…she's kind. She's brave. She's willing to put herself in danger for other people, and for nothing in return. She does a good job at it, too."

"So does Knight," said Rin. Hearing Len speak so highly of Butterfly brought indescribable joy to her, but somehow…somehow, it felt hollow. Knight was her partner – he deserved every bit of credit that she received, didn't he?

Len's smile faded. He gave Rin an inscrutable look, making Rin feel as though she was being X-rayed. "You know…" he said quietly. "You might think I'm stupid for saying this, but…you kind of remind me of Butterfly."

In an instant, the warmth in Rin's chest turned ice-cold. "W-why would you…I mean, I…I'm not-"

"Rin."

Rin jumped. She had been so focused on talking to Len that she hadn't noticed Luka standing behind her.

"Rin," Luka repeated. The pink-haired girl's expression was somber, yet her eyes carried an urgent, almost desperate look in their depths. "I have something for you."

She held out a small, folded piece of paper to Rin – a note. As soon as Rin took it from Luka's hand, the pink-haired girl turned and silently walked away. Whispers from surrounding tables followed her out the cafeteria.

Rin glanced sideways at Len, who shrugged, looking perplexed. Uneasiness rising in her stomach, Rin unfolded the paper:

 _Meet me after school. Senbonzakura Hospital, 3rd floor, east wing, room 367. COME ALONE._

 _~Miku_

Rin reread the note three times. After she could no longer convince herself that her eyes were playing a trick on her, she looked up to see Len's confused expression.

"It's Miku Hatsune," she explained. "She wants to see me."

Len frowned. "What does she want with you?"

"No idea," Rin said truthfully. "Maybe…maybe she wants to tell me something…"

The furrow in Len's brow deepened. "Look…I know it's not my place to tell you what to do, but…if you don't want to go, nobody can force you."

Rin stared at him.

"And…" Len added, averting his eyes. "If you want, you can ask someone else to come with you."

"Um…" Biting her lip, Rin fidgeted with the note in her hands. "Sorry…I mean, thanks, Len. But…Miku wants me to see her alone."

"So you a _re_ going, then?" Len said anxiously. "But what if she hurts you?"

Rin sighed. "Len, this girl was recently attacked by a monster and almost killed. How could I refuse?"

* * *

 _Knock, knock._

Rin cleared her throat nervously. "Um…hello? M-Miku?"

"Come in."

Rin reluctantly obliged and stepped inside the musty hospital room. Looking around, she surveyed the place with a mixture of apprehension and distaste. She had never liked hospitals for this exact reason – they were always too grim and suffocating. How could anyone be expected to recuperate in such a gloomy environment?

"Rin."

Rin jumped. She snapped her attention to the pristine bed in the center and the thin, battered figure sitting upright in it.

Miku fixed her dull, unsmiling eyes on Rin. "You're probably wondering why I asked for you." Her face was puffy and bruised, and her arms were wrapped in bandages.

"Y-yeah…" Rin said slowly, positioning herself at the foot of the bed. "Why did you want me here?"

Miku took a deep, rattling breath. "I…"

Rin raised her eyebrows, trying to conceal her uneasiness. In this state, what could Miku possibly say or do to ruin her day? What could Miku possibly do right now to hurt Rin's feelings? And why would Miku want to hurt someone else in the first place, when she was recovering from her own injuries?

"What…what is it?" Rin asked hesitantly.

Miku paused, gazing up at Rin's face. For the first time, the unwaveringly cold mask of the ice queen wavered.

"I…" Miku said. "I…have to tell you..."

From outside the window, a dark cloud briefly covered the sun. For a brief moment, the hospital room darkened, making the dull, chalky wallpaper look gray. And then it turned light again.

"I-I'm sorry," Miku forced out. "I'm sorry."

Rin's jaw dropped. "What?"

Miku took deep breaths again. An uncharacteristic flush was appearing over her face – this was proving to be much more difficult than she had planned. Who knew that saying one five-letter word would take so much effort?

"I'm…I'm sorry for what I said," Miku repeated. "Will you forgive me?"

Rin struggled to regain her composure. "You're…apologizing?"

Miku sighed in relief. For a second, she had feared that Rin didn't understand her. That she wouldn't accept her apology, or even become upset or angry. "Yes."

Rin bit her lip and frowned. Once again, the room turned dim – but this time, it remained dark.

Miku watched Rin silently. She didn't understand why the other girl was wearing such a grim expression. Miku had just apologized, right? She had truthfully said that she was sorry, had asked for forgiveness, and had admitted her wrongs in the past. And since she'd already apologized, that meant that Rin forgave her, right?

 _Right_?

"Are you serious?" Rin said in a hoarse whisper. She wasn't smiling.

Miku nodded seriously. "Yeah, I'm…I'm really sorry."

Rin didn't say anything. She looked away, chest rapidly heaving up and down. As Miku watched, the shadows in the room only grew darker and darker - almost as if they were gathering around Rin.

"You're…you're not still mad, are you?" said Miku.

"Mad?" Rin laughed hollowly. "Why would I, of all people, be mad?"

"Look," Miku said, impatience rising up her throat. "I said I'm sorry-"

Rin's lips tightened. "Don't waste your breath."

"W-what?"

"You remember everything you did, don't you?" Rin said softly. "How you made my life miserable?"

Miku's eyes widened. "But I…"

And finally, something snapped inside of Rin. A hot surge of resentment rose from the depths of her heart, bubbling from her lips like molten lava.

"Do you remember the rumors you spread about me?" Rin hissed. "The notes and text messages you sent me? What about every time you tripped me in the hallways? What about every time something _mysteriously_ disappeared from my locker or random swearwords were scrawled onto my desk? Do you remember that? _Huh?_ "

Miku's eyes widened. "B-but I-"

"Do you remember how you humiliated me countless times in front of everyone else? How you mocked me and taunted me and bullied me? How you _tormented_ me?DO YOU?"

"Rin, please! I'm-"

"YOU MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL, HATSUNE!"

Miku desperately held out her trembling hands. "But I'm sorry!"

"Sorry? _Sorry?_ " Rin snarled. Her face was white with fury. "All those things you did to me over all those years, and you say _sorry_?"

Miku stared at Rin as though meeting her for the first time. Rin Akita was famous throughout school for her gentle, sweet, temperament – and infamous for her meekness. Nobody had ever seen her so angry. And nobody – absolutely nobody – had ever met the livid, bitter girl standing before Miku right now.

"I…" Miku cried. "I _am_ sorry. I'm serious!"

"And you expect me to forgive you, just like that?" Rin said, fighting back tears. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but sorry doesn't cut it!"

Miku gave an exasperated sigh. "What else do you expect me to do, Rin? Write an apology letter? Get on my knees and _beg_ for your pardon?"

Rin made a sudden movement toward Miku, who flinched, expecting to be slapped or punched. But at the last second, Rin stopped and stepped back, breathing heavily.

"I know what this is about," Rin said quietly. "You don't really care about what you did to me or my friends. You're just…out of it. You're in shock. I'm sure that when you get better, you'll…you'll go right back to how you were before."

Miku's stomach clenched as though Rin had actually hit her. "No! That's not true!"

"And why would it be otherwise?" said Rin.

"You…" Miku stared at her. "You really hate me, don't you?"

Rin merely gave her a cold, twisted smile in response. Then, without another word, she swept out the door. A dark, ominous shadow trailed after her, rippling as if it had a life of its own.

* * *

"If you value your life, I suggest you cooperate."

A boy covered in bruises and cuts stirred on the ground like a wounded animal. His sword, a bloodstained katana, lay out of reach – at the feet of a tall, hooded figure, half hidden in the shadows.

"Tell me," the figure continued. Its voice was cold and devoid of kindness. "Tell me where he is."

Slowly, the boy lifted himself a few inches off the ground and looked up. He was wearing an ivory mask painted to resemble a fox's face. Long violet hair, sticky with sweat and blood, tumbled down his back. His once elegant robes were torn and filthy, and his skin was riddled with cuts and bruises.

"Never," said the boy.

For a moment, everything was silent – so silent that the boy could hear his heart pounding frantically against his chest. Then the figure lowered the hood of its cloak and swept towards the boy. It grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at its face, where a pair of malignant eyes glinted hungrily.

"Do you think that I, the king of nightmares, am any less than that accursed Dreamweaver?" it whispered. "Do you think that, just because the Key-bearer is on your side, I am not capable of making my own servants?"

"I'll never help you," the boy spat. "You'll have to kill me!"

The figure laughed, sending chills down the boy's spine.

"My dear little Mask," it chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, you have no say in this. You are at my mercy."

The boy tried to free himself from the figure's clutches, but it grip was unbreakable. Grunting in pain, he struggled to break eye contact, to look away from the cruel, distorted face, to reach for his katana…but to no avail. It was too strong.

Its eyes held him captive.

They were glowing brighter and brighter, casting everything else in shadow. They pierced through his mask and imprinted themselves into his mind, making the rest of the world fade into blackness...blackness that engulfed him, devoured him, swallowed him up…

Vaguely, the boy felt his mask being removed from his face. He heard the sound of something being shattered to pieces – but the noise was muffled and distorted, as though he was underwater.

"I will repeat myself one last time," Nightmare said softly, finally releasing the boy. Immediately, he collapsed to the ground, face slack and expressionless. "You will find the Key-bearer and kill him, and bring his key to me. You will cut down anyone who stands in your way, especially the other three. Is that clear?"

"Yes," the boy said blankly.

Nightmare's face stretched into a cruel, leering grin. It placed its gaunt, skeletal hand on the boy's bare forehead, and his wounds instantly faded. His ripped, filthy clothes mended themselves. The only thing amiss was the glassiness in the boy's eyes.

Carelessly, Nightmare kicked aside the shattered pieces of the boy's mask. It was close to its goal now…very, very close. It could almost smell it in the air.

There were less than a hundred Masks in the world, only four of whom were powerful enough to pose the slightest threat. Only three of whom were left standing. And among those three…only one Mask was aware of its existence.

 _So close…so very close._ Soon, the Key of Dreams would fall into Nightmare's hands. Soon, the Dreamweaver would meet her downfall.

And soon…Nightmare would plunge the world into darkness.

* * *

 **First, there is something I would like to clarify:**

 **Umine Mizuko pointed out an error in the last chapter (that I fixed): Len mentioned an "accidental visit" to Rin's house as Knight. Originally, I was actually going to have him do that, but I decided the incident conflicted with both of their character arcs because it was too sudden and left little room for more growth in their relationship, so I deleted the whole chapter. I guess I forgot to delete the reference to it in Chapter 8. Oops XP**

 **But if you guys want, I can upload it as an extra, once the whole fic is finished of course. BTW, thanks for pointing it out! :)**

 **Umine Mizuko: Yeah, I guess so XD Again, thanks for finding my blunders! :)**

 **RandomMudThing: *bursts out of coffin* WHO SAID RINXLEN WAS DEAD? (JK) Lol, I'm glad you like it.**

 **mdmpinkie9088: Aww, thanks :D Miku is probably the hardest character to write in this fic, actually.**

 **P.S. Rin was originally supposed to forgive Miku right away, but after putting some more thought into it I realized that wasn't that realistic, even if Rin's nice. What do you think?**

 **Also, who do you think the other Masks are? ;)**

 **Thanks for reading, everyone! Stay tuned for Chapter 9! Happy (early) Halloween! *noms on candy***


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